Sealing Twilight
by Kyoto141092
Summary: Naruto has just returned from his two year training trip with Jiraiya, but what happens when he finds himself stuck with someone he thought had died. One thing is for sure... he's gonna need earplugs... or lots and lots of ducktape. - Naruto X Tayuya Fluff/lemons later on.
1. Prologue

**For the record... I don't really have the time to do a lot of writing these days, but I've got 50,000 words down on this one. Which is about six chapters. I'll post a new chapter ever week or so, which should give me plenty of time. If you guys really like it, then I'll put what time I have into this one for a while.**

 **So a few things first. This will be a Naruto/Tayuya fic. Mainly because she is one of my favorite characters. Maybe because I'm fond of crazy redheads? Who knows, but she was given far to little time or character development in the anime. However, because of the base for the story there is an opportunity for one more girl.**

 **Second there is some leeway for the rest of the story... mainly whether this becomes a (peace maker fic) or a (civil war fic) Still unsure which would be more enjoyable. This is a romance adventure so which ever one I choose will determine which theme is prevalent...**

 **Now on to the story.**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto)**

 _ **Prologue**_

 _Unwelcome arrangements_

Tayuya fucking hated trees, the forest, the Leaf village... Hell she hated the whole damned land of fire... among other things. Some of these he might have been able to put up with. The village had been trashed courtesy of Orochimaru.

But it was times like this that reminded her of why she hated this "place" she lived in. Because as far as she was concerned. Her "home" was barely deserving of the description _hovel._

Her residence was inside one of those hated trees, carved out by someone unknown ages ago ad furnished with the comforts of home. Although she suspected that comfort was an odd word to describe anything having to do with the Spartan furnishings. A bed constructed out of branches, bound with vine, and heaped with old furs, long since ruined. With that there were two chairs of similar make and a even smaller table, resembling more of a stool. And this is pathetic place was where she lived now. _"I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place."_

The mantra rang in her ears as she limped into her small home. The limp had been there for more than two years. Ever since that lazy shithead and the blond wind user had crippled her by dropping a forest on her. Every part of her had been crushed. Both her arms had been broken. Her collar bone, a couple ribs... All stuff that would heal. She was nothing if not durable... Being an Uzumaki… even an untalented brat like herself had its advantages.

But the real damage was to her legs. They had been mangled. She was no medical nin and she didn't dare return to Orochimaru. Her master would show her no mercy. And he would not fix a broken tool. That wasn't his way. He would throw her to his monstrous experiments... or worse. Give her to Kabuto for his own experiments. And her seal? It refused to respond to her call, probably because of the severe damage to her body. It wouldn't activate if the host was too weak to take the strain. And if by some miracle she could activate it and thus heal her legs…. The strain on her mind would likely kill her.

There was a good reason why Orochimaru used the level two cure marks sparingly

So... this is how she got by, doing nothing better than scraping by. In two years she had made friends with an old man who lived in the forest much like her. A healer... but he didn't use chakra in his healing. He was an old medicine man. He had done what he could, but she knew that it might be twenty years before she could walk well again. _"Twenty fucking years too long!"_

It was an agonizingly slow recovery for someone with strong Uzumaki heritage like her. Pathetic really, a twenty-five year recovery... ha! Some Kunoichi she was. If she had the courage, she would crawl her way to the leaf village and offer her body as stock to rebuild the Uzumaki clan in exchange for being healed. But no, she would never subject herself to that. Never, Not in a fucking million years would she bend her knee to the Hokage or ANYONE from that degenerate village!

She cursed as pain, hot and familiar, shot through her legs, up under the kneecaps. Tayuya cringed as the door to the tree house opened and she stepped in, unsteady.

She wobbled over and dropped onto her small bed with a whimper that belied her constant profanity. _"What did I do to deserve this? Kill a few people for Orochimaru? Is that really the only thing that put me here? The Kami must be a fucking ass hole."_

Tayuya lay on her bed, still, waiting for the agony to leave her legs. She needed to play a while on her flute. A jutsu to lure in animals from outside. The healer in the woods might be friendly, but he was adverse to sharing supplies without some kind of trade... and she had nothing to give that he didn't have.

After she had waited long enough to let the pain fade she pulled out her flute. A sad smile graced her lips. This small wood flute had no combat potential. It couldn't handle the strain of her dense chakra. Wood like this would crack or even disintegrate with too much energy passing through it. Her agile mind could have worked out a way to create a song complex enough that it wouldn't destroy the instrument… but there really wasn't any point in doing so.

So Tayuya sat up in bed and placed the simple instrument to her lips. She gathered her chakra in a thin ribbon. Then she started. It was a simple tune, but it carried well though the forest. The sweet melody sang out, filtering through the trees. A calming wave, like a ripple followed the music. Not a genjutu... but an invitation. _"Come get some you fuckers… come to sweet Tayuya so I can have a decent meal tonight."_

She played for a few minutes, then stopped. After a short while no prey came to her open door. Annoyed she started again, playing a more peaceful tune, a lethargic melody. The small rises in the song brought her own mind peace as much as anything else.

It didn't have the desired effect even after she played continually for a half an hour. She frowned, _"Nothing... still. Something must have scared anything away recently. I better stop before someone notices that the music is laced with chakra. The Leaf village is still too close for comfort..."_

Leaving off playing Tayuya rested. Her body had tremendous healing powers, but as an Uzumaki, she didn't fully understand how they worked. So... she slept as often as she could, both to heal faster... and to forestall hunger. It seemed like it would be another long week...

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Days passed slowly, as they will when you're in constant pain. Tayuya was beginning to get desperate. No animal had come to her call in days... She was weak, not to mention out of food. And soon she would have to make the long exhausting journey to fetch water from the nearby stream. As dangerous a propostion as it was neccisay. She didn't like the idea of dying from dehydration at all.

So she was not looking forward to that. She did her absolute best not to focus on her deteriorating situation. It seemed that the more she healed, the less lucky breaks she caught. And a scary thought had been coming to her lately... _"Have I depleted the resources in this territory?"_

Did she really have to move to a more active location to survive? Some place with people... where some passing Leaf village patrol might recognize her. Leaving her relatively safe haven was something she dreaded. Other people would easily take advantage of a cripple. And Genjutsu might not save her life, especially if the Leaf village caught rumors of a red headed girl weaving illusions among the civilians.

She was very... indiscrete. With her penchant for speaking her mind and taking nothing back... coupled with her physical condition. And the very fact of her red hair and violet eyes... well it might not take much to get her killed. At the same time…. She wasn't ready to give up and damn sure wasn't going to die.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya survived another two weeks before giving up. No food, no water unless she made the trek to the stream. Her legs had stopped making any process. She guessed it was because of malnutrition.

So with her options clear and her future uncertain, she set out for the leaf village. She hated to admit it, but there was no point in her going to another village. She would end up in Konoah one way or another... sooner or later. If she tried to go to one of the smaller villages in the land of fire it would only be a matter of time before someone caught a wiff of her existence. She knew that Konoah was almost generous in comparison to other Hidden villages… but all the same…

Stumbling through the brush till she found the trail was easy. The journey down the long path would be hard. It was a day and a half walking to the village. Normally she would be there in two hours, but... her legs made her move at a crawl.

Still she forced herself to walk normal. No fucking way she would let anyone call her a cripple or tease her for her injury. _"I think the best way to get into the village is to feign the injury harder than it is. Then I can identify myself as an Uzumaki and probably get entry to the hospital. Some medical ninjutsu would go a long way to shortening my recovery."_

She thought to herself about possible plans and deceptions all the way... till night fell. She hadn't the strength to build a fire. Again... pathetic. She didn't deserve help. By all rights she should have let herself stave so she didn't burden anyone else who actually had a purpose in life. She hurriedly brushed those thoughts aside. They would only haunt her.

Her sleep was uneasy that night and the next day she woke stiff. The journey to the Leaf was worse than before now. Every time she moved, legs or not, tears beaded in her eyes from the excruciating pain. The grinding sound coming from her knee cap started half way, adding to the monotony of the journey.

It took five more hours of torment before she found herself at the gates to the village. Her thoughts had long ago shut themselves off, trying to blot out as much feeling as she could. Anyone would have seen that she was on the verge of starvation. She didn't realize it, but the moment she walked under the great arch she was being supported by one of the guards.

Her breath gasped out with every step... till she realized that she wasn't walking anymore. She looked up, her eyes catching the gaze of a man with brown spiky hair and a bandage over his nose. Tayuya remembered him… vaguely. The realization didn't bring any flash of clarity to her numbed mind though. If anything it dropped her deeper… into darkness.

 **ooo**

She was being carried for a while. Two voices followed with her. A very small part of her brain told her that one was the gate guard and the other was a masked ANBU. Even that part shut off as the swish of doors opening signaled their entry to a building of some sort.

Tayuya hoped it was a hospital and not a prison... she felt half dead...

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto headed down the stairwell into the underground meeting room where he'd been called to attend. He had no idea this place existed. It was a complete secret even to him. He idly wondered if this was something old or recently constructed. If it was old then he was surprised that he hadn't chanced upon it at least once… and if it was new… he was even more astounded that he hadn't been aware of the construction. After all he prided himself on knowing most of what went on in his village.

He'd only been back a little while from his training trip with the Pervy Sage and already his lines of informants, (a large selection of academy student's, Genin, and low Chunin) had started to funnel information back to "The Boss". Naruto felt a surge of pride that the younger generation and even some of his peers looked up to him now.

Naruto's mind was working on several things at once, as it was apt to do. Less than half of these mental projects had any viable use, but hey! Who said anything about him being logical? But anyway… back to the bunker.

It had the feel of old construction but you never could tell. Old people tended to make stuff around them seem old too. He was unsure if this meeting would be different, but in his experience (admittedly not much) clan meets were the number one place to go if you were looking for a gathering of 'old' people.

Naruto guessed that he was being called by Tsunade to debrief him... _finally_ on his trip with the Toad Sage. Jiraiya had left the village more than a month ago and Naruto had expected Tsunade to evaluate him more. But other than the second bell test with Kakashi... nothing. And that annoyed him more than he was willing to admit… but not enough to start taking D ranks.

Naruto grumbled to himself as he descended the stairs. _"Not even a mission."_

From the deep recesses of his mind came a purr like that of… well, to put it rather bluntly.. A giant fox. Said giant fox seemed irritated as well, though in his usual bored manner. **_"You're a demon brat. Why let you have any responsibility?"_**

 _"Oh shut up furball."_

A sound like a blast of steam sounded in his mindscape. **_"HUMPH!_ _Call me that again and I'll be reciting mathematical equations while to talk with the clan heads."_**

 _"And I'll shrink your cage to the size of a hamster ball. It can go either way... now shove it. I'm going in."_

Naruto ignored the Kyuubi's annoying jabs and pushed open the door to the bunker style meeting room. It had a low ceiling, but was still a bit over his head. Everyone else was sitting. Hiashi Hyuuga, Chozen Akamichi, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaki sat to one side. With them were Hanna Inuzuka and Kiba Inuzuka.

He wondered why they were there. This was supposed to be fore clan heads only. _"Ah… I remember now. Their mom is out on some sort of business for the clan or something."_ He recalled that one of his clones had overheard that on his way over here.

On the other side sat the head of the Aburame clan, stern and silent. With him were Kakashi and Asuma. Kakashi sat next the end of the table with a diminutive girl. Her red hair and round face made her very attractive. He thought he recognized her from... somewhere. Those angry purple eyes were a bit... unnerving. _"Now I know I've seen her somewhere… I don't think we were friends either…"_

He put the girl out of his mind, making the absolute minimum of bows to Tsunade as she sat at the head of the table across from him.

"Hey, What's up granny?"

He nimbly dodged the large paper weight, which sailed past his ear, putting a hole in the door behind him. His grin widened, as the Hokage growled angrily, "Be respectful to you elders Naruto! And sit down damn it!"

Naruto coughed as if she were missing something. "Um, about that... I was kinda in the middle of something, so maybe you could tell me what's going on."

The leaders of the various clans reacted to his manner in different ways. Chozen smiled while both Inoichi and Shikaku frowned. Hiashi raised one thin eyebrow in mild interest. The head of the Aburame clan, Naruto couldn't remember his name, acted very much like Shino.

As in... absolutely no response what... so... ever...

Kakashi and Asuma both looked at each other. Kakashi's look was a defiant "I told you so." Naruto even caught the slight glint as something shiny changed hands between the two.

Naruto saw Hana and Kiba chuckle, drawing an angry look from both Tsunade and Inoichi. Hiashi inquired calmly, "And what is so important that you would arrive twenty minutes late to a meeting of clan heads... especially when you are part of the reason for its calling?"

The blond scratched his head, "Yeah, if someone had bothered to tell me it was actually something to do with me I would have been on time. All I got was some mute ANBU handing me a note, ya know. I can't help the fact that this place was pretty damn hard to find. I mean... I thought I'd found every secret hiding place in the village..."

He eyed Tsunade, trying to impart a non verbal message to the Hokage, _"Nothing is hidden from the Prankster King of Konoah!"_

Naruto shrugged, "As for what I was doing... I'd rather not say. Call it training."

Tsunade hissed, "Sit Naruto, before I break something."

He grinned, "Besides the door?"

Then he sat down before she could lob another projectile at him. Tsunade sighed loudly and Naruto's eyes wandered around the room again. Immediately he noticed a man, back in the shadows. He was almost invisible, but Naruto knew he was no ANBU.

And never being one to hold back he decided to ask. "Hey Granny, who's the old fart in the corner. If he thinks he's hiding he's doing a bad job. Is _he_ a clan head too?"

Tsunade blinked and turned around as if surprised. Everyone else in the room followed her gaze, except for the red headed girl.

She scoffed, "Took you idiots long enough to notice him. Is he more observant than clan elders? No wonder you guys get your asses handed to you every time you fight another village." She crossed her arms even as a look of intense pain slipped across her features.

The clan heads turned to regard her for a moment before returning to the old man... who had decided to step forward. His face was bandaged as well as his arm. He held supported himself with a cane and his piercing dark eyes reminded Naruto of a certain Snake Sanin. He immediately disliked him.

He spoke, "Yes young man, I am a clan head, though I am very surprised you took such quick notice of me. The reason I hide is because I am part of the village's shadow. I aid the Hokage from the darkness, helping in all matters that must be kept... discrete."

Tsunade growled, "You were not invited Danzo!"

The man stared Tsunade down, "I am the head of my clan Tsunade Senju, as are you. We both have equal right to attend this meeting. Had you called it something else I would have been in error to attend... but, I am well within my rights to be here."

Tsunade looked away from Danzo and to Naruto, "It doesn't matter at the moment. Naruto!"

"Yeah?"

She pinched her fingers over the bridge of her nose. "We have... a... problem. And unfortunately all the solutions have other problems attached. You will probably not like it either way."

Naruto groaned, "Ok... ok, I'm going to take a wild guess here... Something to do with me being an Uzumaki right?"

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably. Hiashi asked, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

Naruto pointed at the girl next to Kakashi. "Her. She has red hair."

There was a universal "So?" from around the room.

"She has purple eyes."

They just looked at him uncomprehending.

He groaned again, "Ok, let me connect the dots. I'm an Uzumaki. As everyone seems to like telling me over and over, I do not look like an Uzumaki. Uzumaki are supposed to have _red_ hair. Am I right? Anyway, I've only ever seen like two other people with that color hair before. One of them was in a picture that old man Third used to keep on his desk. I know she was an Uzumaki. And then there's a girl me and Pervy Sage met last year..."

Naruto thought about it for a moment, "Actually I've met another one before. She was a rogue nin that I ended up killing not too long after the chunin exams. She could kill people and steal the ability to use their chakra natures."

He looked at the girl again saying, "And besides that... I'd swear I've seen her before. And I'm not really good with faces... unless I've been in a fight with them."

He struggled for a moment trying to recall where he'd seen her. That small frame, that red hair and those angry purple eyes. It was on the tip of his tongue...

Then the girl turned on Kakashi, "Can I fucking move yet? My legs are killing me, you ass!"

A light bulb went off over Naruto head, "I got it! You're that girl that Shikamaru and Temari took down. One of the Sound Five... But I thought you'd all been killed!"

Asuma gave Naruto a calculated look, "You figured that out awfully fast considering you only fought for a moment and never saw her again. What tipped you off?"

He answered simply, "That's easy, I never met anyone who cursed as much as she did in five minutes. She put Sakura-chan and Ino-chan to shame. I still never figured out what some of her insults actually meant..."

That much was certainly true he thought. Even Jiraiya had been unable shed light on some of her more ... colorful descriptions. Naruto had no clue why she was here... he doubted it had something to do with Sasuke. If it did then they wouldn't have told him. For fear that he would go rushing off after his long time friend and rival. So that meant that there was some other purpose to bringing him in here... to meet her.

 _"Hey Kyuubi, I'm drawing a blank here. You got any clue what they want?"_

 ** _"I have a guess. Wait and find out for yourself."_**

Naruto waited as she tried to bite Kakashi's throat out for shifting her the wrong way. Evidently she was injured somehow. He could... almost feel her presence. At this distance he could sense the kinship. They had the same blood. That was for sure, but... she seemed _quite_ volatile...

After a minute she calmed and Tsunade returned to the business at hand. She said, "You are quite right Naruto. You are here because you're an Uzumaki. More to the point. You're both here because you're Uzumaki.

Naruto didn't realized what she was getting at... then he saw the look on her face... and the look on Kiba's face.

The red head : Fury, pain, embarrassment

Kiba : Humor, sympathy, disbelief

The demonic chuckling from the back of his mind settled it. Naruto looked at Tsunade in something akin to horror. And... as usual, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"YOU'RE AS UNHINGED AS THAT RETARD OROCHIMARU!"

He was pale, he realized that because his face had gone cold. He might have blushed instead if he hadn't been halfway between denial and anger.

Tsunade sighed, wanting to get it over with. "Naruto. You are the last official member of the Uzumaki clan. No other member has stepped forth to clam the clan name. You are sixteen, and that is the age at which heirs begin to look for a suitable partner. As much as I detest the idea... there isn't likely to be a better chance to restore the Uzumaki clan."

Silence.

More Silence.

Through an act of sheer will Naruto focused his mind, calming himself. And for once the Kyuubi didn't interfere or make any snide comments about his situation.

He lamented the fact that he was so slow when it came to this stuff. Not having parents to teach him how the clans and politics worked forced him to think extra hard on this stuff. _"If only Pervy Sage were here. He'd stop this in its tracks... but what I don't get is why Tsunade is going along with this. I thought she was against the tradition of using people like breeding stock!?"_

The clan heads watched as Naruto sorted through his mind for an answer.

Danzo stepped forward. He spoke slowly but commandingly. "The decision is all but final. The village needs the Uzumaki clan to return. And as the head of your clan it is your responsibility to strengthen your clan as much as you can. All you need do is agree."

Naruto nodded, "Uh huh... but, I don't think so. Ya see, it's kinds part of my nindo. I really don't like it when people force me into stuff I don't like."

He looked up into Danzo's dark eyes. "I don't know you. You aren't Hokage and that means as far as I'm concerned you can go jump off a cliff. As for the good of the village... why should I care. What have you done for me lately? Besides give me shit every time my birthday swings around?" He didn't really mean all of that. He cared for the safety of the village regardless of what they had done to him as a child, but it would be good to see what their reactions were.

He crossed his own arms, mirroring the girl. "And my clan? Since I'm a male, any girl I married would automatically be an Uzumaki too. So I don't see why I'm stuck with her."

Naruto gestured at her absently, "And as for her in general..."

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I MARRY HER?! SHE'S AN ENEMY AND WORKS FOR OROCHIMARU!"

He leaned forward glaring at Tsunade, "You finally figured out how to piss me off granny. Congrats. Now I thought you hated this kind of shit. I'm not some stud horse and she isn't some nice quiet girl you picked off the street. Even if she wasn't a criminal, and I did agree to that, we'd end up slitting each other's throats before the clan got any bigger!"

Tsunade nodded and asked, "You heard him Danzo. He won't do it. He doesn't like any part of it and neither do I. The number of times I've made it clear that we won't revive that heinous tradition is too high to count. As for what Naruto said, he has a valid point. Them marrying would only result in children with about75% Uzumaki blood. Neither of them are pure Uzumaki."

Danzo said, "That is far preferable to 25% if he marries a daughter from another clan. The village needs this Tsunade. Do not let your feelings get in the way."

Tayuya decided to speak up then, "Can you sons of bitches get his over with. In case anyone doesn't know, both of my leg bones are fractured! I should be back in the hospital still, not watching you old fuckers argue over which mother fucker gets me as a damned prize!"

Tsunade growled, "You need to deal with it for now. The sooner this is over and dealt with the sooner I can take care of your injuries."

A crack sounded through the room. Head turned. Naruto had brought his hand down on the table with enough force to splinter it. A jagged fissure ran down the middle. Everyone in the room, excluding the Aburame and Danzo, paled as he released killing intent in a wave. To everyone it seemed like the temperature had dropped several degrees while gravity became roughly twice normal. Kiba and Hana both choked on the foul aura.

He demanded angrily, "You brought her here with broken legs? What kind of sick joke is this?! If you're going to force her on me, FINE! but heal her first damn it! Do you know how many times I was denied entry to the hospital here when I was a kid?! You can forget about this until I hear that she's been given PROPER medical attention!"

Chozen nodded in agreement, " She should have been left in the hospital as she says. And I agree with Naruto. It is very disrespectful to him to force the issue. It is also very cruel to her to demand that she wait so long for treatment."

Hiashi sighed, "Let them go about their business. I personally had training with my nephew and daughters today. Shall we resume this when the girl is healed?"

Tsunade nodded, "Very well, do you have any objects Danzo?"

The old man shook his head, "No, heal her wounds, then she may think differently of our proposal."

Naruto stood and left a second later.

He took the steps three at a time till he was racing out of the bunker and through the village. He made his way... all the way back to his apartment.

Once inside he slammed the door. The hinges snapped off and it fell flat. Naruto growled and dropped down on his bed. _"I try to stay calm... I try, but they keep pissing me off. Don't they understand how I think yet?! I would never agree to marrying anyone who didn't want it. Especially if I don't want it either! And why the hell was Granny so damn cool headed about it? Usually she'd fly off the handle."_

Kyuubi's amused voice came from the back of his mind. **_"That is simple. She is being pressured by the civilian council and many others, including that Danzo individual. You are right not to trust him. My other containers both despised him."_**

 _"But why is it so important that I marry an Uzumaki?! And don't they get it? I'll marry who I choose and no one else. Clan responsibility? Technically I'm the last of my clan so all my duty is... is to look after myself."_

 ** _"An interesting way of putting it. What will you do then?"_**

 _"First, I'll make it clear that I'm not agreeing to an arranged marriage. Fuck the civilan council. They hurt me enough. As for her... She is an Uzumaki. I could tell just by being close to her. I'll make sure she doesn't get used either. That's what I'll do for her._

 ** _"She did help the Uchiha escape to Orochimaru. Will you forgive her for that?"_**

 _"Of course! I'll bet she was just manipulated like Sasuke. Besides, I wouldn't let anyone auction her off to the highest bidder, enemy or not. That's also part of my nindo. Do what I think is right. Not what other people tell you is good."_

 ** _"Do you need help?"_**

 _"Are you offering?"_

Kyuubi huffed, **_"So what if I am?_**

 _"Then I accept. Just don't get any funny ideas fox._

Naruto stood and moved to the center of the floor, _"Give me some chakra. I want to finish training where I left off. It's been a month and I'm close to mastering it."_

 ** _"Very well..."_**

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tsunade walked up the stairs to Naruto's apartment, Shizune in toe. Her assistant keeping up a constant stream of worries and deadlines in her ear. Tsunade ignored her for the moment. She needed to speak with Naruto so the boy could be properly informed about what he was being dragged into, even ifshe couldn't tel him everything. Much of the information she wanted to give was classified.

 _And_ in addition to that she had to do it before Danzo found some way to force her hand and drop Tayuya on Naruto without her permission.

When she reached his apartment... the door was off it's hinges, lying flat on the floor. Shizune gulped audibly, "Naruto-kun wasn't happy with the meeting I guess. Did he fly off into a rage?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No, but he feels the same way about the practice of forced marriage and breeding out rare bloodlines. It's amoral and should be illegal except in a few select circumstances. But that wasn't really what set him off. I called the meeting before the girl had the chance to be fully healed. Her legs are in bad shape. Naruto realized that we'd dragged her into the meeting badly injured."

"Ah I see why he's so angry. He broke his wrist when he was seven and the hospital refused to treat him. Iruka told me about it once... Naruto despises people who harm others for the sake of expediency." Shizune frowned, "It might be difficult to sway Naruto into accepting her at this point. She was involved with Sasuke's betrayal."

Tsunade nodded wearily and entered the apartment, "Naruto! Are you in here?"

A voice from behind her and to the side spoke up, "You bet. Now are you going to tell me what the hell is going on with that girl or is this just going to be you apologizing for what _must be done_?"

Tsunade and Shizune turned to see Naruto leaning against the wall by the door. He looked ticked off, which as it also happened, he was.

He said, "I want to know what is going on. Where did she come from, why is she here, and why does that old guy want the Uzumaki clan back so bad?" He paused for a moment before asking, "And who is he anyway? Sounded like he was a S ranked asshole to me."

The Hokage suppressed a mental chuckle and sighed, "It's simple Naruto. The Uzumaki clan has always been one of the most powerful clans in existence. Often seen as a match for the Uchiha and Senju. Your mother was a nearly full blooded Uzumaki and in her time was the undisputed strongest kunoichi in the village."

Shizune looked surprised, "Stronger than you my lady?"

Tsunade said, "Yes... even stronger than me. Her mastery of seals was on par with any of the Kage in the lands, most of the time surpassing them. She even had the ability to use many powerful jutsu without weaving hand signs. That is how skilled she was with seals. And… if you'll believe the stories that Tsume used to boast about, she mastered level 8 Fuinjutsu in a single night."

She sighed again, feeling incredibly old for saying it, "You are her only descendant and you have the potential to master all of the Uzumaki's most powerful sealing techniques. Only strong Uzumaki could even hope of using most of them. So... the reason Danzo wants to force you into marrying her is that the next generation would have strong Uzumaki heritage, boosting the village's military strength. Over time the clan could be rebuilt from the ground up."

Naruto looked between her and Shizune. "So... this is something that Danzo wants... not the village?"

Tsunade explained, "Danzo and I both serve to protect the Leaf village. The simple issue is that we rarely see eye to eye on how it should be done. Danzo favors drastic legislations and strict, rigid punishment. I like to rule with a more even hand. However... the civilian council has already been informed of the situation. I don't like it, but they have a lot of political power here. They want the village to be the strongest it can be and a renewed Uzumaki clan would help."

Naruto growled, "But I don't like it. I hate being used like this or seeing anyone else used. I don't care what she's done in the past. She's basically family right. An Uzumaki? I can't sit here waiting for a bunch of grownups deciding how she gets to live the rest of her life!"

Shizune smiled, "We don't like this either, but the clan heads are in agreement. They don't like the idea any more than we do, however they know it would make the village stronger. And seeing how your mom was nearly SS ranked in the international Bingo book… having a whole clan inside our wall would be…"

The Hokage pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew Naruto would eventually make things work out… one way or another. "You don't have to marry her Naruto. No one can force it on you. But... and don't take this the wrong way... if you don't marry her then I'm sure Danzo with think up something else horrible for her."

There was a moment of silence while Naruto mulled it over.

He looked up a second later, "Oh shit... she's an A rank criminal right! So if I didn't agree then she might be sentenced to prison or executed... And if she is listed as an official prisoner then she forfeits are rights as a Shinobi. That prick would be able to do whatever he wanted to her."

Shizune looked amazed he'd thought of that, but nodded," That's true Naruto... You see why your decision is so important. It is basically up to you to decide what becomes of her. It's part of your job as clan leader."

Another silence descended. Naruto closed his eyes thinking it over. _"I want to help her... but do I want to give up my chance to marry someone I like?"_

An image of Sakura flashed into his mind.

 _"No... She's going to be used like some tool by the village if I let her go. I can't call myself Naruto Uzumaki if I let anything happen to her when it's my decision that makes or breaks the deal. I have to do what I can..."_

 ** _"You may be thinking about what goes on around you more, but you still don't think of everything. What of the Clan Restoration Act?"_**

 _"What's that?"_

The Kyuubi sounded aggrieved, **_"A document that anyone can sign up for. The last male descendant of a clan may take more than one wife as insurance that the clan survives. I have no doubt that the Uchiha brat would have used it eventually to restart the clan."_**

 _"So I could marry her and still be able to marry someone else who I actually... you know... loved?"_

 ** _"Yes."_**

Tsunade watched as Naruto's frown disappeared. He looked up, "Is there no other way to make sure she's not hurt?"

She shook her head, "There are other ways, but they aren't assured to work."

Naruto pulled his fingers through his spiky blond hair. "Grrr... Fine, I'll do it. Just make sure she's healed properly and that no one messes with her. And even if I marry her, I better not get hounded about when there are kids on the way. You good with that Granny?"

Tsunade sighed, "Are you sure Naruto?"

He growled, "I'll apply for the Clan Restoration Act. I'm the last known male Uzumaki so I can marry more than one girl, right? I wouldn't do this so easy if I was stuck with her."

Both women agreed. Shizune asked, "True enough it lets you marry more than one woman, but how did you know about it?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sasuke was always going on about rebuilding his clan. I just remembered him talking about it." he pushed away from the wall and turned to leave the apartment.

Tsunade asked, "Where are you going?!"

He said, "To talk to her at the hospital. What did you think? That I was going to let someone else tell her. If I'm stuck living with her then I need to start setting some ground rules. Otherwise she's going to kill me in my sleep or something."

With that he dropped off the side of the building before heading for the hospital.

Shizune shared a confused and startled look with Tsunade, "When did he start think things through so clearly? It's like he's a different boy."

Tsunade looked around the room. The floor had a large circular scar in the center... as though it had been scrapped clean after it was covered in something unpleasant. "You're right... Naruto is acting rather mature these days... And it's not just Jiraiya. Naruto was himself for Kakashi's bell test. I wonder what' gotten into him."

She saw something out of the corner of her eye… a strangely shaped kunai, sticking in the wall across the room. Tsunade frowned, her mind going back in time. But it didn't match… _"Probably just some stunt weapon he bought with Jiraiya… stupid kids these days."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya decided that if there was anything or anyone in the world that she loved... it would be the kindly old man who healed her legs in about twenty minutes. More than two years of constant pain and anguish left her and caused her to feel a fondness for him.

That fondness was quick to evaporate though. The man quickly restrained her. Tying her to the bed with the thick leather belts provided.

"Hey, what the fuck? Why are you tying me down you old geezer!?"

He didn't answer. Once she had been completely immobilized he gave a small smile and left. Tayuya growled in anger. So they didn't trust her far enough to even let her walk on her newly healed legs?! Bullshit!

She looked around the room. It was fairly small with no window and bare white walls. The door wasn't barred at least. As for herself. A thin white hospital gown with noting underneath. She didn't care about being almost nude. It never bothered her before, but it made her feel vulnerable. And that was a feeling she would never be comfortable with.

Her mind wandered to the meeting that had been postponed. The blond boy... looked to be her same age. She'd only realized who he was after his last name had been mentioned. He was the same as the kid who had pulled a fast one on her and Saikon.

And he was the default clan leader now. At sixteen you were technically an adult and if you were a shinobi you could be called an adult as soon as you made Chunin. She assumed he was at least sixteen. This meant that she was actually almost two years older than him, despite her small size. He on the other hand was tall with short spiky blond hair and deep blue eyes. He wasn't physically imposing, but he did exude an aura of power. She thought that it probably came with being a Jinchuriki.

"That damn brat was probably laughing himself silly after. I bet he likes the idea of having his own sex slave. Asshole thinks I'll just agree to marry him because I'm and Uzumaki. He's got another thing coming."

A pleasant, but sarcastic voice from the door asked, "Do you always curse so much... even when you're alone, or did you know I was here to listen?"

Tayuya whipped her head to the source of the voice, but saw nothing. Then here was a ripple through the air and Naruto materialized out of thin air. He was... very tall in comparison to her. He wore a black jacket with dark orange stripes down the sides. Along with that was a pair of black pants and combat sandals. His headband had been removed and was tied around his arm.

She examined him, trying to gauge what he was thinking. She didn't know what he was up to and it made her uneasy.

Naruto sighed, "Well if you didn't already know, I'm Naruto. And your Tayuya right?"

She didn't answer. He obviously didn't expect her to because he didn't stop speaking. "Granny explained you situation to me... It seems like I have to decide what happens to you. If I don't take you then Danzo gets first dibs. And.. if you're imprisoned for your crimes against the leaf... then you lose all rights as a shinobi, which means he could do pretty much anything to you." His words hung in the air like several tons of stone ready to fall. She was prepaired for his inevitable next words.

He scratched the back of his head, "So I decided to agree to marrying you. It should help keep you out of his hands for now. I figured it would be better for me to tell you than granny or some random ANBU."

Tayuya's face twisted in anger, "How god damned noble of you... Asshole."

Naruto shouted, "Listen! Do you think I like being stuck in this situation?! I'm only 16 ya know. I don't want anything to do with this. I hate arranged marriages."

She answered him, pulling at her restraints, "So!? Why are you agreeing to it? It just makes you a fucking hypocrite!"

"I get it. You hate the leaf village..."

"When did you figure that out Shithead?"

"...but unless you'd rather go to prison and get sold out for your Uzumaki heritage... this is the best option."

Tayuya hissed, "What if I refuse?! You can't force me to marry you. And unless you're planning on raping me, you'll never get me to bear YOUR children!"

Naruto looked away from her, "Face it Tayuya, I'm only tying to help you... and I would never rape anyone. Beside's they wouldn't give you a choice otherwise."

"Oh really! So you're just trying to help now?!" She spat at him, "You mean you just want to get laid! Let me tell you asshole. Lay one finger on me and I cut your dick off!"

He clenched his fists. She was pissing him off with her constant insistence that he was some kind of selfish monster. "Just who do you think I am? Some pervert, pretending to help? What I'm trying to do is go with the option that is easiest for you! The one that will hurt the least!"

Naruto growled, "You're lucky I care enough to help."

She looked at him, venomously, "And why _do_ you care?"

He glared at her, "Because... it's what I think is right. That's why. It isn't fair to make you marry me... and trust me, I don't want it either. But it is better than the alternative."

Tayuya closed her eyes, "Which is imprisonment, rape, torture, experimentation, and likely execution?"

Naruto turned to face her, stepping forward, "That's right, so are you going to give up and let me help where I can or should I just go find Danzo and tell him that our ready for him?"

She paled and glanced away from him. At the moment she didn't look like a former member of the sound Five. She looked like an angry and scared teen. Which she also was... at least as far as he could tell. Tayuya was smart. So even if she cursed him out, she'd come around eventually.

Tayuya watched him in return. She cursed inwardly. She hated this place so much. Hated everything about this village. And worst of all. It seemed like the easiest... and least painful course was the one Naruto was offering. The fact that he'd come to speak with her himself boded well at least. He was an honest person if nothing else. And he wasn't stupid it seemed.

She let out a sigh, "I want to kill you."

He smirked, "I kinda figured that."

She asked, "And how do you know that I won't sneak into bed with you and slit your throat the moment you sleep?"

He shrugged, "I'm not the only person who wants to help you Tayuya, but if you kill me, there will be no one who wants to save your skin. Tsunade and the other clan heads would throw you to Danzo so fast, you wouldn't realized what happened."

Naruto's jaw clenched, "I would bet that you'd just end up in the same situation, except with someone less... nice."

Tayuya snapped, "And you're so FUCKING nice! Barging in here and telling me to come along like a good little bitch! You're luck I'm strapped down!"

He turned around again, "You don't get it Tayuya. I don't like you either, but I'm still offering to help."

She gritted her teeth, "Just out of the kindness of your heart... right... And you have no other motive at all!? I don't fucking believe it."

Naruto stiffened, "What?! Do you think I actually _want_ to marry you for some reason?"

She shouted, "Yeah I do fuckface. I think you're just like your perverted teacher. That ugly damned Toad freak!"

A moment passed and neither of them spoke. When Naruto moved again he was walking towards the door saying, "I don't know why you have to make things so hard. Which would you rather happen? Get stabbed or punched? I wouldn't want either, but the fact is that you don't have that option. I'm the lesser of two evils."

Naruto stopped just outside the door and looked back at her. "If you want to fuck yourself just to get at me, go ahead. It's your funeral. I won't stop you. Now... I have training to do. I'll see you when they call the clan meet again."

Tayuya watched as the door closed with a near silent click.

Naruto was gone, leaving her with her thoughts. It was tempting to tell Naruto to go fuck himself and let Danzo do what he wanted with her... but... she didn't want to do that. Even if it mean being forced... forced to live with that boy. He wasn't lying to her. He wouldn't take advantage of her. That was more than she could have said for her own team mates in the Sound Five.

And after all... if Naruto never forced himself on her, it might be years and years before she ever had to do anything with him. He didn't seem like he would be as annoying as Sakon or Jirobo. It wouldn't be torture to live in the same house with him and from what she'd been told... her crimes would be cleared.

 _"This seems like a very easy option to take... so why do I feel like there is something else to this. That Danzo fucker wouldn't give up on all his plans for me, just to marry me off to Naruto. He would at least reserve the right to experiment on me like Orochimaru...I must be missing something."_

She tried to think through all the possibilities. Naruto was the best option... just like he's said. And he was an Uzumaki... not that it mattered, but she felt fractionally better knowing they were from the same clan. She'd never known what it was like to have one... so it felt strange to think about it.

There was a chance that all of this was for naught and he would end up slaving under Danzo anyway, but... for now she was safe... Tayuya allowed her body to relax and enjoyed the feeling of... no pain. She almost couldn't feel her legs. They seemed numb after years of agony.

A thought entered her mind then, incongruous after all that had happened in the last few hours… _"Will I ever be a ninja again?"_

 **So there's the first chapter. Now for those secondary matchups.**

 **First there are a few girls that are out of the question**

 **No Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Tenten. I'd prefer that the secondary match (if any) were a less used character. Also, If you want to really impress me, find a way to sneak it into the story I'm weaving.**

 **If the girl happens to be dead... so what. I already resurrected Tayuya, what's one more walking talking corpse?**

 **((I just updated this a day after posting. I will be putting up a poll on my page having to do with these questions please answer as it will give me a better understanding of what you readers out there like))**

 **A** **nyway, thanks for reading and remember to review**


	2. Chapter 1 - Spark

**Hiya! Kyoto back with the next chapter of Sealing Twilight... and the plot thickens...**

 **So I put up a poll for about a week... and it'll stay up until I change my mind, but unless a significant group of people want otherwise, I'm making this a single girl fic. It's what I originally planned. The secondary girl was simply to add some drama and add to the theme of rebuilding the Uzumaki clan.**

 **So without further incoherent ramblings here you go.**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto) sucks don't it, this would make a great branch of anime...**

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Tayuya sat to the left of Tsunade two days later. All of her injuries, both major and minor had been healed. She felt physically perfect, but... mentally she was balanced on the edge of a razor. Not long after Naruto had left... Perhaps an hour later, Danzo had appeared in her room. She would never forget his intricate and detail descriptions of what would happen to her should Naruto choose not to marry her.

It didn't bear thinking about. And then the day before this one, Tsunade had come with the head of the Yamanaka clan to speak with her. It had ended... fairly well she supposed. Tsunade had asked what her choice would be. For obvious reasons she said that she would rather marry Naruto.

Tsunade explained that the wedding would be... different from others (nonexistent). In the legal sense they would be married, but the rest of the village wouldn't know. To all outward appearances she would just be living with Naruto. It would only be made official at such a time when she became pregnant, or if Naruto decided to make it known.

However... Tsunade told her that she would not be leaving the hospital to live with Naruto until Inoichi assured her that she wouldn't try to escape or harm anyone in the Leaf. She had promised that she wouldn't and Inoichi had proceeded to delve into her thoughts, looking for false feelings. Any other time she would have Mind-screamed him out of her head, but she forced herself to stay calm. Even as the blond man rifled through her life and thoughts like a skilled jeweler looking through gem stones.

In the end it was determined that she was telling the truth. Tsunade said that the rest would be explained at the clan meeting the following day.

So here she was... waiting. Everyone was here except for Asuma who was need for a mission. Also Danzo hadn't bothered to hide his presence this time. His icy stare was very much clear to the rest of the room.

And yet again... they were waiting for Naruto. She wondered if he was always this late.

Then the door to the meeting room opened and there was Naruto. Everyone reacted to him in different ways. Most were simply shocked by his appearance. Kakashi chuckled, relieved that Naruto was up to his usual antics.

Tsunade blinked her shock away. Naruto was wearing the tattered remains of his jacket. His pants were filled with holes and every thread on his person as badly singed. However... his skin wasn't even scratched. There was soot in his hair, which he ruffled as he walked forward.

Chozen asked, "Naruto... what happened to you. It looks as though you were hit with an explosive tag."

Naruto stuck his finger in his ear and twisted it around, "Sorry... what was that? My ears are still ringing a bit. Honestly, your guys have like the worst timing in history. Good thing I'm more durable than your ANBU messenger. He's out cold."

Tsunade inquired, "You were training I take it? With what?"

He scratched the back of his head nervously, "Nothing really, just a new jutsu I'm working on. It tends to blow up in my face when I get distracted. Anyway..."

Naruto sat down at the close end of the table looking towards Tayuya. He asked, "You better now?"

She nodded curtly, "I'm fine, idiot."

He raised one eyebrow, "Ok... well Granny, should we pick up where we left off or are things pretty much settled?"

Chozen and Hiashi shared a look, "Did something drastic happen while we were gone? Has the matter been closed?"

Tsunade shook her head saying, "Naruto has agreed to marry Tayuya as asked. She has also agreed to the arrangement, granted that her record is wiped clean and no negative actions are taken towards her from now on. Also, she has made it clear that she doesn't wish to become a home bound wife. She wishes for the chance to become a Leaf village Shinobi sometime in the future."

She turned to Inoichi, "Inoichi has searched her mind and finds no traces of deceit. She will move in with Naruto as a roommate for now. When the time comes that she is with child or Naruto wants it to be official then they will move to the old Uzumaki embassy. It will be renovated in expectation of that time. Naruto has asked that he be allowed to apply for the Clan Restoration act as part of the deal."

Hiashi nodded, "A wise decision. But as I have been told by my daughter Hinata, you live in a very small apartment. Is there room for two people to live in such a cramped space? Especially since I doubt she will be leaving your apartment for the first few weeks. Others will need to be alerted of this proceeding's result before she is seen in public."

Naruto sighed, "I have enough money to buy a bigger place, but I've been gone for the better part of two years. I'm used to having very little space to myself. It's up to her how she feels about it."

Danzo muttered, "You are surprisingly welcoming to an enemy ninja. I did not expect you to consider her wishes important."

There was a murmur of agreement around the table. Naruto gave Danzo a dirty look, "Cut the crap Gramps. I'm not like you and ever will be. I have friends in every secret village. _Actual friends_. I'm not going to mistreat her just because she used to be an enemy. Besides, there's no point for her to try and hurt me so why hurt her?"

Kakashi coughed, "Well, As the leader of Squad 7 I must say that we are currently shorthanded. I wouldn't usually suggest letting an enemy nin join a squad until they'd proved themselves loyal to the village... but Inoichi says that she's safe enough. I can have her on Squad 7 as a way to earn some trust."

Tsunade shook her head, "Not yet Kakashi. Maybe another time. For now she needs to adjust to the village. I suspect it will be harder than she thinks." She turned to Naruto. "I'll ask again. Are you sure you are ok with this. After all, you are only 16. Most Shinobi don't marry until their early twenties."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, well most shinobi aren't Jinchuriki either. And I don't know many who trained with the Toad Sage. I've never been cut out for normal. So... I still haven't mastered my new technique, so could we hurry this up. It's not like we're exchanging vows are we, cause I'm not sure that I could do that without it getting awkward."

By Tsunade, Tayuya said, "You can all forget about wedding vows. I ain't saying any of that shit to him even if we're married."

There was a rustle of cloth and Danzo drew forth a scroll. He bent forward and placed it in front of Tayuya. He said, "Sigh your name at the bottom girl, next to the symbol."

She obliged and the scroll was passed down the table to Naruto. Danzo gestured to him, "Sign just above hers."

He did so and passed it back around to Tsunade. The Hokage signed it quickly and blew the ink dry. She nodded to Danzo, "This is done. Take it and process it."

The older man nodded and left the room. Naruto would have swore he saw a smug smile on Danzo's face. It left him with a sour feeling that wouldn't immediately go away. He looked to Tsunade, "Anything else?"

"Yes Naruto, don't be so impatient. There are a few things that need to be attended to. First of all, your mother was the last head of the Uzumaki clan. She sealed dozens of important documents and items away for a time when her descendants might need them. They need to be taken from the village vault and sorted through. You're the only one who can do it unfortunately. I have slight traces of Uzumaki blood, but not enough to activate the seals."

Hiashi asked, "Just how large an inheritance does he have from his mother? As I recall she tended to save everything she made. There should be a large estate."

Tsunade pulled out a document from her sleeve. "This is a short record of the general contents of the inheritance from Kushina Uzumaki. It shows only the basics though. Pass this to Naruto."

Naruto took the scroll as Hiashi handed it to him. He opened it. His eyes scanned down a long list of items till he came to the figure at the bottom. _"Holy Fuck!"_

 ** _"She had a king's ransom in money... You'll never lack for funds it seems."_**

 _"You got that right! Hey, why didn't you tell me about this? You should have known. Wasn't my mom your last container?"_

 ** _"Yes, but she always kept me tightly bound. Her chakra was particularly dense and strange. I was always under the tightest of bindings with her. I rarely saw what was going on outside."_**

 _"Oh... well, still, I've never seen so many zeros before... I guess this is from like the whole clan right?"_

 ** _"I suspect it 's compensation to the Uzumaki clan from the Leaf village. You remember what I told you about the destruction of the Uzumaki clan."_**

 _"Yeah..."_

 ** _"Hm... I suspect this isn't a good time to bring it up."_**

 _"You're probably right about that."_

Tsunade asked, "Something wrong Naruto?" He blinked as he looked down the scroll.

"Actually... this doesn't make sense. There's a bunch of numbers here for something. They're not locations are they?"

There was a moment of silence before the head of the Aburame clan spoke, "They are most likely the designation for specific jutsu in the Forbidden scroll of the village. Jutsu invented by the Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened for a second, "Cool... so there must be some pretty awesome moves to learn huh? I got to look into that stuff since I just started working on sealing jutsu. Hm... what is this right here? A deed to a house on the north end of the village?"

Tsunade nodded, "That is also part of the inheritance, but it isn't available to you yet. Certain requirements need to be met. And before you ask, no, I can't tell you what those are."

He continued down the list, noting things that he didn't understand. It seemed like either his mother or the clan had own lots of stuff in the village. Most of this was rented out already... _"Maybe that's where all this money is from. If the Uzumaki clan owned all this property and was renting it out to people, then it's been collecting money for the last...I don't know how many years."_

Naruto put down the scroll, "Ok... lots of stuff. I had no clue there was this much. Pervy Sage told me that Mom had some inheritance for me after I turned sixteen, but I never knew it was... well... so much." He scratched the back of his head, "But on another topic... uh, If Tayuya is staying at my apartment, then it's going to be a problem."

Glancing at Shikaku, who had yet to speak so far, Naruto said. "The thing is that Shikamaru and me have been hanging out a lot lately. And he's about the most observant person I know besides Kakashi sensei. He'd recognize her the second he saw her. Then there would be a huge mess and the whole village would know. Not to mention my other friends stopping by. Sakura is always coming to try and drag me to some lame mission. I'm pretty sure she'd blow something important if she saw Tayuya there."

Shikaku sighed, "I understand that. Effective immediately all of the Shinobi are to be informed of her presence. Those who know her will be advised of her status. Those who don't will be told that she is your girlfriend. Not such a big lie since you're technically married as of five minutes ago."

He looked to Tayuya, "Are you prepared to do some acting when required to keep up the illusion until it is no longer needed?"

She glared at him, her expression and body language showing instant anger, "Yes."

Tayuya turned her gaze on Naruto, "Don't get any bright idea's Uzumaki!"

He let a smirk cross his lips, "You don't need to tell me that. I already know you're an antisocial paranoid."

Tayuya looked like she'd been slapped. Her cheeks flushed red in both anger and embarrassment. She shouted, "SHUT UP!"

Naruto asked Tsunade, "What about the details on why she's here and where she came from. It's not like I can just say, Hello everyone, meet my girlfriend Tayuya. Don't bother asking about her past. She doesn't have one." He glanced at her. "I mean... it's going to seem really sudden. I ever exactly had any.. eh girlfriends before so..."

Tsunade groaned, "Arg... yes Naruto, we're still working on that. For now she needs to stay at your apartment and have minimum contact with others. I hope you can deal with that accordingly. And don't leave her unattended all day either. You have a bad habit of being so completely engrossed in your training that you forget to eat or sleep."

He cringed, remembering the week he'd spent mastering Rasengan. Almost no food or rest for days. "I guess you're right. Will someone drop by with the details or do I need to bring her to Hokage tower to be briefed?"

Shikaku said, "Someone will stop by with her back-story. We're not sure how long it is possible to keep this a secret. But it should be simple once the right parties have been informed."

Naruto felt relieved at that. Perhaps it wouldn't be as much of a pain as he thought it would, but then again. He had a feeling that Tayuya and his small apartment was a potentially explosive combination. _"She is pretty aggressive like Sakura and she's got an even bigger mouth... Makes me wonder if we could possibly get along. Especially after that argument back in the hospital."_

Taking a deep breath he looked around again, gauging the looks he was getting from the various clan leaders. It was slightly unnerving knowing that rank wise, he was on par with them now. _"It's almost the same as a sudden promotion to Jonin just because I got older."_

Naruto let out his breath. "Anything else?"

Tsunade nodded, "A few things left. Then you can go..."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya looked around Naruto's apartment. It was indeed small, but no smaller than her room in Orochimaru's base had been. And it was larger than the room carved into the base of the tree. That had been almost closet sized.

But that wasn't the problem she had with it. The problem was the blond who had taken a seat on the bed. He looked at her warily, suspicion in his eyes. She ignored him for a moment and stepped around the room. A dresser with clothes, some ninja gear on top of it. Another by on window had a large scroll set out on its surface. She thought it looked like a summoning scroll.

There was another window by the bed. It had a couple pictures on it. One was of Squad 7. Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at each other over a pink haired girl's head. Kakashi Hatake stood over them with a hand on their heads.

Beside that was another picture. This one showed Naruto, a bit older, with the Toad Sage. Her attention was caught by the third one. It was a distance shot. Naruto could be seen sitting on top of the Fourth Hokage's monument. From the perspective it looked like it had been taken from the roof of the Hokage's tower.

She glanced at Naruto and back at the picture. Something puzzled at the back of her mind, nagging her, like phantom itch. Tayuya turned away from the pictures. Naruto was watching her carefully. His deep blue eyes curious, but still edgy.

She asked, "What? You were so damned sure of yourself back in the meeting room. What the fuck happened? You look nervous now."

He shrugged easily, "Nothing, just wondering is all."

"About what?"

He blinked, "You're a bit nosy. Fine. I was wondering if you're planning on trying to escape. Or do something else stupid. You act smart, but sometimes you say stuff that doesn't make any sense. And after signing that contract, we're pretty much stuck living together. Permanently... So I guess I was really wondering what kind of person you were."

Tayuya straightened, "Well. I guess that it would probably be _nice_ if I told you about me. But there isn't much to tell. Besides, I still don't think you really care. You're just pretending to be concerned so you can get what you want. That's how the world works. Orochimaru was no different. And neither is your Hokage. They both say nice things so they can fuck you over later. Orochimaru abandoned me even though he would have known that I didn't die since I still have my curse mark."

She sneered. "You want something from me, which is why you agreed to something that inconveniences you. I just haven't figured out what your twisted idea is. Or what is has to do with me."

Naruto smirked, "You're more paranoid than anyone I've ever met. Well... actually there are a few people who were worse than you, but it' a small number." He stood and leaned in close, "You need to figure out that some people don't have any horrible plans hidden away."

"And you don't?"

Naruto shook his head, "I have goals. First I want to get Sasuke back. I made a promise to Sakura-chan to bring him home. And then I want to become Hokage so I can protect everyone I've come to know as friends. That's my main goal. It's what I live for."

She gave him a questioning look. "How does helping me get you closer to becoming Hokage?"

"Simple. It doesn't. If I think about it, it's probably hurting me. Since I'm putting so much time in to keeping you from Danzo and the village, I might not have as much time to train or go on missions. And I'm sure that it's going to be a hassle as soon as my friends find out about you."

Tayuya glared at him, "SO!? WHY HELP ME?!"

He cringed a bit at the volume. "Hey, listen my ears are a bit sensitive ok! Don't shout so much! It's giving me a headache."

She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "Damn it. Why are you doing this?! I don't believe that it's out of the kindness of your heart. This is the Shinobi world, the age of the Ninja. People don't do that shit."

Naruto's eyes flashed as he lost his temper. His palm connected with her cheek. The harsh sting taking her completely by surprise. His voice was almost a growl as he griped her shoulder painfully.

"Listen Tayuya! I'm not your damned enemy. I am trying to help you because you were taken advantage of. You've probably lived through hell for as long as you can remember. I lived through the same. This entire village hated me. Most of the people still think I'm an uncontrollable monster."

He closed his eyes which were starting to burn with the anger flaring up inside him. His chest was beginning to hurt too.

"I want to help people, to prove I'm not the same as the demon inside me. You... you are someone I can help. So... stop insulting me for trying!"

Naruto released her quickly and turned around. His heart was beating too fast. His chakra was erratic, even his breath was coming out as a purr. He hurriedly stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. _"That's right... Pervy Sage loosened the seal. When I get angry.. or stressed out, my chakra mixes with the Kyuubi's. Damn it. Now Tayuya's going to be freaked out."_

His eyes were a murderous crimson, so deep that blood might have been lighter in color. _"Darker than an Uzumaki's hair... It's no wonder Sensei almost pissed himself after opening the seal too much. I look evil."_

Naruto gazed into the angry eyes of his reflection. He'd never seen himself in a mirror right after drawing on the power of the Kyuubi. It was... scary... Even as he watched the red faded, draining out of his iris until only blue remained. A moment later the slit pupil opened.

In the door way Tayuya said, "You looked like a demon just now. Does that happen all the time?"

He glanced back at her, "Sometimes. Not often. Depends on how stressed I am. Almost killed the Toad Sage when he pissed me off during training. I see you're not scared. That's good for me I guess. I don't have to worry about you going ballistic on me."

She tilted her head, seeming curious. "Would you kill me if I made you too angry?"

He chuckled, "Probably. Even though I trained to two years, I still have no control. Just to warn you Tayuya... if you ever see me grow a tail that looks like it's made of red chakra... you'd better run."

"Why?"

Naruto smiled at her, "Cause that's when I really lose control. It's only happened a couple times, but there isn't a whole lot that can get in my way when it happens. And..." He looked back at his reflection. "... if you see more than one tail... you'll probably die anyway."

Tayuya asked a bit puzzled, "And why not say, fuck the village? You're strong enough to do what you want right? If the village hates you then you should make them fear your power. Kill a few of them and they'd leave you alone. And if you were strong enough, you could do whatever the hell you wanted."

He turned back to her and stepped close. He prodded her hard in the chest. "Because. That's not my ninja way. I protect my friends and I'm loyal to my village. The Fourth Hokage sealed the Ninetails in me for a reason. I'm the one who has to master it's power. Once I do that, I can defend the village from anyone who tries to harm it. Then the village will stop hating me and start respecting me."

He moved around her and back into the main room. He looked around at the small chamber. A thought occurred to him. He glanced back at Tayuya. She caught the look. He seemed to be mulling something over. After a moment he made a quick handsign and a plume of smoke enveloped him. As it cleared she saw three clones. They nodded to their master before leaving the apartment.

Naruto groaned and dropped back on the bed.

She moved back into the room with her arms crossed. She wanted to know where he'd sent the clones but figured he wouldn't tell her. It was making her uneasy that he kept up the act of being a kind person. Jinchuriki weren't nice people. Sure they had it rough. Even rougher than she'd had it. But they were still shitty people. Everyone knew that. Having the demon inside turned them into hair trigger maniacs where were just as likely to kill you as look at you.

It reminded her of Jugo from the far northern hideout that Orochimaru maintained near Kumo. That man was a crazed lunatic and he wasn't even an Jinchuriki.

The fact that Naruto had the Kyuubi inside him. The biggest, strongest, most evil of the demons... it proved that he was trying to pull something over on her. Some deception that she was either to slow or to ignorant to notice. _"I'll just have to wait and see what happens. But after that little outburst... Kami knows I'm not going to try and piss him off. I don't have a death wish."_

When she looked down at him again, his eyes were closed. _"Did he fall asleep? Who does he think I am? He can't be that trusting..."_

Tayuya glanced around for some place to sit down... and saw none. The bed was the only place to rest besides the floor. She gritted her teeth. _"So that's the game right now... If I want to sleep, It'll be on the floor or with.. him. And he told me he wasn't a fucking pervert. Like I could believe him."_

She moved to the other side of the room and sat down. Her eyes still focused on the blond. He looked asleep, but... he probably wasn't. In her mind she guessed that he was waiting for her to go and sit on the bed. Or even lay down with him. The narrow bed would have just barely enough room for them both to fit without touching. And that was if one of them laid on their side.

Irritation crept into her mind as she watched him doze. It was ticking her off more and more every minute.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Naruto's eyes opened and he bolted out of bed. Tayuya's shout was stifled by a hand as he hustled her into the bathroom. He didn't speak, but put a finger to his lips, signaling silence.

Then the door shut. She cursed him mentally, but stayed silent. She pressed her ear to the door, hoping to catch some of the conversation.

 **ooo**

She heard the door open, followed by an overenthusiastic greeting.

"Naruto! My rival! It is time that we fight, for you have prolonged our... long awaited match long enough! I long to meet you is Youthful Combat!"

Tayuya sweat-dropped at the challenge. _"This guy sounds like a complete looser."_

Naruto's reply was somewhat less than energetic, "Sorry Bushybrows, but I can't spar right now. Maybe another time."

"Aw... But Naruto! You have returned from two years training with the legendary Jiraiya! You should be shouting your readiness to test your metal!"

Naruto said, "Not now Lee. I can't train or spar. I have other stuff to do... Ok?"

"Fine, but when you are free, you must fight with me! I will see you soon my fearsome rival!"

Naruto sounded slightly aggrieved, "Yeah, sure..."

The door closed with a snap. A moment later the door to the bathroom opened. Naruto apologized, "Sorry about that. Lee gets out of hand. But at least he didn't kick in the door like he usually does."

Tayuya spared him an annoyed look, "You have weird friends... or should I say mentally unstable."

He agreed, "Yeah, most of us have something crazy going on. Lee is a training lunatic. Tenten, his team mate is crazy about weapons... and Neji Hyuuga. You've met him I think. He has no social skills and is over polite to the point that he's rude."

She didn't know what to think about his easy acceptance of them. She asked, "How can you stand being around them?"

"How can I stand being around you? You're louder than Lee, more foul mouthed than Sakura, and even more insulting than Neji... and you aren't polite at all. The only think I like about _your_ personality is that you're blunt. At least I don't have to worry about you saying something you don't mean."

She smacked him upside the head.

"Hey!? What was that for?!"

She sneered, "What do you think?"

He rubbed the side of his head saying, "I think you take things too seriously and you can't take what you dish out. You keep insulting me and my friends, but you get mad when I tell you how you act. I should be asking what you're thinking."

Naruto turned away from her, "If you want to sleep on the bed instead of on the floor, try being a bit nicer."

Tayuya steamed and shouted, "Why would I want to sleep with you!?"

He moved to take his place on the bed again, "I'm not asking you to sleep with me. What do you think I sent the clones for? I told them to go buy a bed that we can fit in the cornet once I move the dresser. And the other one was going to get you the usual stuff. Ya know... Toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush... etc..."

She blinked in surprise. "You really sent them out to do that?"

He glanced at her, "Do I have to keep telling you, I'm helping you. And because of that you are living in my apartment. It would be rude if I didn't at least get you a bed of your own. Besides you'd probably attack me if I suggested using the same gear for cleaning and stuff."

Tayuya smirked, "You're not as stupid as I thought."

He closed his eyes and said sarcastically, "Thanks for the compliment."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Later that night Tayuya lay in her own bed. Listening to the sound of Naruto sleeping. She didn't like him... not one bit, but she respected him slightly more now than she had that morning. He was considerate at least. Not something people generally were towards her.

And... confusing. His motivations didn't match up with how he'd been treated by the village. Anyone who had suffered the scorn of their entire village like that... didn't just turn around and want to be the hero. It made her blood boil thinking about it. If she were Naruto... this place would be only slightly better off than it would have been if Orochimaru succeeded in destroying it.

Everything about Naruto was a mystery. She was stuck wondering... did he really have something up his sleeve... or was he just unhinged. _"I don't know which one I prefer. If he's just plotting something then he's normal. Everyone deceives others and tries to get what they want... any way they can. I couldn't hate him for being normal. But on the other hand... if he is actually a... good guy... And he's doing this just because he doesn't want to see me suffer... I can't hate him for that either. Fuck! I can't justify being pissed at him either way!?"_

She rolled over, looking across the room at him. He looked... handsome. At least when he wasn't wearing orange. She didn't like that color very much. To garish. She like red, purples, and blues. Orange was... tacky. Something else she might have liked about him was his smile. He seemed to smile a lot, but it always looked fake to her.

Something she had to admit though... he was tall. It was a bit strange. His height must have been from his father. Tsunade said his mother was an Uzumaki... and Uzumaki tended to be on the small side, like her. He had the rounded face of an Uzumaki and the eyes. Unlike hers he had the rich blue that looked like the sea after a storm.

 _"Shit! What am I thinking about!?_

She rolled on her back, unable to believe what she had just been doing. _"I was doing some sort of girlish inventory of his looks... Fuck, I not some damned fangirl to go admiring beauty! Shit, Damn, fuck! He's messing with my head!"_

Tayuya forced her eyes closed and willed herself to sleep.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto yawned mightily. Light steamed through the window over his face as he stretched. He sniffed the air and froze. His keen sense of smell picked up a strange flowery scent. And mixed in with it was another slightly musky one.

He sat up quickly and slipped off the bed, wondering what it could possibly be. Naruto halted at the bathroom door. The sound of movement clicked something in his mind. A prickling sensation on the back of his neck... his body's warning of imminent danger, signaled the door's opening.

The bathroom door swung open and he was face to face... or near as he could be with the height difference, with Tayuya. She had put on the clothes she was wearing the day before, but her hair was damp. A towel was wrapped around her head, keeping the wet hair off her neck.

Naruto registered her expression as it changed from calm to wrathful.

 **TWACK!**

Tayuya's hand chopped into a pillow as Naruto substituted with the one on his bed.

Her eyes went wide a second before she was engulfed in white down feathers. She thrashed for a moment as they descended to the floor. Naruto watched as the hale of white cleared.

Tayuya glared at him. All of her exposed skin, which was still damp, was now covered in feathers. She pushed out her lower lip and blew hard, clearing some of the fluff that clung to her face.

Naruto guessed that it probably wouldn't do any good, but he said it anyway. "Sorry Tayuya."

She removed her towel from around her head and used it to wipe the annoying down off her face and arms. She kept her frosty glare on his the whole time. When she was done she moved to her own bed and sat down.

He noted that she didn't look very... rested. There were dark circles under eyes and he was sure that she hadn't slept the night before. Seeing how her bed was an even greater mess than his. In addition to that she continued to radiate anger at him, as though she were trying to burn holes with her gaze alone.

Naruto looked away from her and to the savaged remains of his pillow. He quickly made a shadow clone. The copy cleaned up the mess and disappeared in a puff of smoke. A few minutes passed before he muttered, "Good morning... not."

She made no move to remove her weighty gaze from him. He was starting to feel like an ant under a magnifying glass.

Eventually he felt compelled to break the mood.

"Listen, I don't know what is wrong with you but could you STOP staring at me like that. It's starting to get to me."

She smiled.

Naruto groaned, irritated, "Ok, we are not going to get along if you are trying to goad me into getting angry. If you want me lose it and beat the shit out of you go ahead and mess with me."

Tayuya smirked, "Maybe I'm just getting revenge."

"On what?!"

She shrugged, "Nothing."

Naruto growled, "What did I do to you since yesterday? Are you staring me down because you walked out at the wrong time and got feathered? Or are you trying to claim that you're getting revenge for me buying you a bed and everything. Cause if you want to sleep on the floor _that bad_ I'll take your bed and put it next to mine and sleep real good."

Tayuya shrugged, "It's for keeping me up all night,"

He shouted, "I DO NOT SNORE!"

"And what if I say you do?"

"Then you'd be lying!"

Tayuya demanded, "And how would you know if you snore or not? You're the one sleeping!"

 **ooo**

Kakashi watched them argue for the better part of ten minutes. Both of them getting louder and louder until it became unbearable. He rapped the window frame with one metal backed glove, alerting them to his presence.

"Well. You two _certainly_ get along well for newlyweds. Tell me, How's the honeymoon going?"

Both of them froze. Naruto asked, slightly horrified, "How long have you been there Kakashi sensei?"

The Jonin said bluntly, "About ten minutes."

Tayuya looked mortified. Naruto decided to pretend that nothing happened. He let his shoulders relax. "What did you need sensei?"

Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I was just passing along some info Naruto. The clan leaders agreed that it would be simpler if all the Konoah twelve were told the truth about her. Seeing how close you all are already. In addition to that most of the Jonin in the village will be told. The vast majority of them already know about the incident with lord Third. Tayuya might not be immediately recognized, but it would only be a matter of time."

He turned his head to look at Tayuya, "On another note, Lady Tsunade wants to see you later this week once you're adjusted here. You're rather lucky. The Hokage trusts Naruto enough that she rejected Danzo's proposal to put a chakra seal on you."

Tayuya glance at Naruto, though she offered no thanks. Naruto asked, "Anything else? Like a cover story for the people we don't tell about her?"

Kakashi said, "Nope, Not yet. You'll have to wait on that. Skikaku is working on it thought, so you probably won't have to wait too long. Anyway, Sakura will be stopping by with some measuring tools since Tayuya here can't just go out and buy ones that fit. Try not to get injured Naruto!"

With that the Jonin vanished, leaving his disgruntled student to fend for himself.

 **ooo**

Naruto sighed loudly and let himself drop limply into his bed. Tayuya raised her eyebrow. She was curious about who this Sakura was. Some girl that Naruto didn't get along with? She didn't know, but if there was a chance she could take advantage of the situation... she would. The only question was… could she get answers out of Naruto without him figuring out what her game was?

"So ... Naruto. Who is this Sakura?"

He grumbled. A girl with pink hair from my own squad. She's obsessive over Sasuke and probably is going try to kill you, me, or both of us." Naruto rolled over to looked at her, "Seeing how you were partly responsible for Sasuke escaping. She won't take kindly to that. I just hope they explain things to her before she shows up and sees you. Otherwise I'll be stuck as her punching bag while I try to talk her down."

Tayuya smirked, "You let some girl wail on you like that? Aren't you a Jinchuriki? I'd think you could handle your own team." It crossed her mind that Naruto was the kind of boy who would let a girl beat on him. The whole nice guy routine had disadvantages too.

Naruto grimaced, "Yeah, but she's a lot like you. Loud mouthed and easy to set off."

She growled, "Watch it kid!"

"Kid? Is that the best insult you could come up with? Surely you can do better Ta-yu-ya..."

Leaping at Naruto she brought her fist in line to plow through his head. Naruto didn't move like she expected him to. His brought up one hand and caught her wrist easily. His blue eyes burned into her for a moment before he let her go.

"Sorry, but Sakura-chan is an expert in chakra manipulation and she can barely scratch me half the time. Without enhancing your strength you won't be able to touch me. My body is naturally more durable and stronger than yours. As you said, I'm a Jinchuriki _and_ an Uzumaki. And, I don't really like getting hit, so don't try it."

He shifted and looked up at the ceiling. "You're still treating me like an enemy. But I'll keep trying to be friends with you as long as you don't hurt any of my friends. You're safe as long as we get along."

Tayuya crossed her arms. "I'm not interested in being your friend. I chose this rout because it was the best course. That doesn't mean I have to like it... or you for that matter."

Naruto closed his eyes slowly, "Yeah? Well, it wasn't your choice. It was mine. I was just being nice when I asked how you felt. If you're not my friend then you'll never be friends with anyone else. And if you have no friends and you're trapped in a house all the time... it's no better than prison is it? You might be clever, but Orochimaru never taught you how to accept things did he? That's part of your curse mark too. When you get angry you can draw out the curse's power to increase your strength..."

He let a smirk cross his face, "What is the point of living if you aren't happy?"

She stepped back from him. "So... you really have no plan to take advantage of me as soon as I let my guard down?!" Tayuya already knew he wasn't that kind of person. Even if he was a pervert, it was easy enough to figure out he wasn't that kind of pervert. What bothered her is what else he could have planned for her.

Naruto said, "I might be a deep thinker sometimes, but I'm not a schemer like some people. If I wanted to take advantage of you... I would."

"Oh... and, by the way, just so you know..."

"What?"

She started as a wave of foreboding washed over her. Naruto's body language seemed to change in an instant. He sat up and looked at her. Tayuya was taken aback by his eyes. The warm blue was gone, turned cold. His gaze was predatory and reptilian. "If you want me to be the bad guy... I can _totally_ play that role. It's not hard."

Tayuya shivered violently and turned around. For a moment he looked just like Orochimaru. That gaze that saw only what it wanted and desired power. Naruto's warmth had flooded out of him, leaving... hate. _"Why do I feel so weak right now? He just looked at me?!"_

"Tayuya."

She hesitantly cast her eyes towards him. "Y...yes..?"

"Do you want to live with nice Naruto... or _not_ nice Naruto? Your choice Tayuya. But you need to know. I'm not going to switch back and forth once you decide."

He laid back down. "You don't have to choose now. I'll give you a chance to think it over."

Tayuya could hear that his voice had changed. It was deeper, but lacking in emotion. It was cold, like his eyes. Eyes that might have matched the demon inside him. Another shiver... chill as a mountain peak in midwinter, rushed up her spine. She shuddered and rubbed at her skin. Goozebumps had broken out all over. _"I remember this... It's just like when Orochimaru would get pissed at us... Oh fuck... this is way worse. Is he.. is this how he is all the time and just hiding it? shit..."_

It was almost like the temperature had dropped, making her skin crawl. Her damn hair felt as though it was freezing to her scalp and the back of her neck. She hurried to her bed and sat down. Her eyes darted to where Naruto was lying with his eyes closed. He seemed so calm... still, but his presence... it was like a panther crouching. Waiting for the moment she showed any weakness.

She knew she was showing just that. _"I.. can't...breathe..."_ Tayuya clutched at her chest, trying to force air through her frozen lungs.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto lay still, allowing himself to fall into a deep trance. He heard the Kyuubi speaking to him as if from a great distance.

 ** _"Naruto... you're going to knock her unconscious if you keep this up."_**

 _"And... so?"_

Kurama recoiled at the hate frozen in Naruto answer. This was not like Naruto at all. This side to the blond boy who's mind he called home. This part of him was... dangerous. **_"She is not strong Naruto. You could kill her eventually. Tone down the killing intent before she has a heart attack."_**

 _"Why?"_

The fox felt his fur stand on end. Fear... an uncommon emotion to him, bit into his essence. Kurama hoped that he would never see this side on his container again. His voice rumbled with urgency, **_"Stop Naruto... you are starting to cause her pain."_**

 _"You didn't answer my question. Why should I stop? She wanted to see the real me."_

 ** _"This isn't the real you."_**

 _"So says the one who would take over my mind and rip the village apart."_

 ** _"JUST STOP!"_**

 _"Make me Kurama."_

The demon stilled. There it was... for the second time. Naruto had used a name that had not been given to him.

 ** _"You will not forgive yourself for it later."_**

 _"Fine... weakling girl. And she's one of the last Uzumaki... I guess It would be a waste."_

 **ooo**

Tayuya gasped in relief as the killing pressure left her in a rush. She felt stiff and sore. And an ache had settled behind her eyes. She forced herself to sit up. Naruto... was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. They remained cold, but the crushing hand around her heart had vanished.

"What... was... that?"

Naruto looked bored. "It was too easy to do. You're an Uzumaki. I expected you to be stronger. But I expected too much."

She paled. "That was a test?!"

He smiled and she had to look away from him. It was like the Shinigami's smile. Naruto said bluntly, "I did it because I wanted to. Though it was a test of sorts."

Tayuya glanced at him and thankfully his smile was gone. "What... were you testing?"

Naruto slipped out of bed and walked towards her. The temperature seemed to plummet as he closed the distance between them. He looked down at her. "There are only two reasons for the clans to have you marry me. The first is to keep you out of Danzo's hands. The second it to get you pregnant with Uzumaki children. And really... that's the main one. They might have morals, but when it comes down to it, you're only a womb on legs to the village."

"You see the original Uzumaki clan didn't even live in the land of Fire. They existed in their own small nation between this country and the Land of Water. So the clan heads really were excited to have the opportunity to reinstall the clan _inside_ the village. So as soon as Sasuke Uchiha is brought back, they'll have three legendary clans in a single village. Sounds tempting doesn't it?"

He pushed forward till his face was inches from her. His breath hissed out and his pupils seemed to expand. "I want to know... are you worth my time?"

His hand shot out fast as a striking serpent. His fingers curled around her arm. His voice purred out, "I could take you now and not have to worry about it. I'm sure Danzo won't turn his nose up at one kid. And Tsunade will be a _perfect_ grandmother to it."

Naruto leaned into her, one hand scratching up her side, eliciting a gasp as his fingers grew claws which raked her skin through her clothes. He asked, "Well? Are you a worthy mate? Or should I find a girl with a better constitution. I might even find someone who didn't have such a foul mouth."

His calculating gaze took in her own, "Fact is, you might be one of the last Uzumaki alive. There's a good possibility that you're the last female. So that gives you a bit of worth. The Uzumaki clan's ability to master Fuinjutsu was legendary even among the Senju… and they were the ones who made it a viable ninja art. Our children could probably surpass the Fourth Hokage in talent."

He smirked and brought his face close to her own, "Well… nothing to say?"

Tayuya yanked free and leapt off the bed. Naruto's lips twisted into a feral grin. She backed away till her back was against the door. Naruto shrugged and returned to his bed.

The terrified girl kept her back against the door until her heart slowed enough to breathe properly. She vowed not to ask another question until Naruto went back to normal. _"If he does..."_

 **ooo**

 **oooooo**

 **ooo**

The door to Tsunade's office slammed shut. The Hokage looked up at her student as she slid down the wooden surface to rest on the floor. Pink hair in disarray with a bag under her arm, Sakura looked like she had just stumbled out of a horror movie.

Alarmed, Tsunade stood and quickly moved to her side. Sakura's breath was erratic and her fair skin had gone a deathly white.

"Sakura! What happened?!"

Her apprentice looked up at her. Sakura's green eyes were wide with fear. "S...something is...wrong... with Naruto..."

Tsunade took Sakura's words at face value and helped her to her feet. The girl was unsteady, but Tsunade supported her to a seat by hers. When Sakura was installed the Hokage called for Shizune. The assistant came in a moment later.

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Shizune! Get Inoichi... NOW!"

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Inoichi Yamanaka placed his hands gently on either side of Sakura's head. The girl was still unable to form coherent sentences. She mumbled to herself as Tsunade looked on.

He glanced back at her, "This will take a moment, but I can use my jutsu to allow us to see what she saw. I will have to go through the entire memory before I can activate it though."

"Fine, do it."

Inoichi nodded and pushed his thoughts into Sakura's mind. It was unnervingly easy, but then again, she had no defenses up. She was traumatized. He wondered what could have happened to do this as he accessed her most recent memories. _"Something thoroughly unpleasant..."_

They came to him easily. He immersed himself as he replayed the memory

 **ooo**

Sakura opened the door to Naruto's apartment. Immediately she saw the red head on a bed against the far wall. She was curled up with her eyes focused on Naruto.

The blond was lying in his own bed, looking up at the ceiling, obviously bored. He twirled a funny looking kunai on his fingertip. Sakura walked into the room already chastising him. "Naruto-baka! What the hell have you gone and done now?! Lady Tsunade told me you agreed to an arranged marriage or something! Is that true?!"

Naruto's voice was lazy and bored as he said... as if to himself, "And in walks the Original Loud-Mouth. All hail the Banshee and future Queen of Emo."

Sakura eye-ticked, "What did you just say Naruto?! Answer me already. Why in the name of the First Hokage would you do that?! And with HER of all people?! Don't you know who she is? She's one of the Sound Five! You know, One of the group who kidnapped Sasuke-kun!"

There was silence as she stopped speaking.

Naruto took a moment to stop his spinning kunai. Then he threw it at the wall to stick in the wood. He sighed, "Take you measurements already. I won't peek."

Her knuckles cracked at his calm attitude, "NARUTO! I am so going to kick your ass if you don't get out of bed and answer me!"

Her breath caught as Naruto materialized in front of her, one hand catching her in the center of the chest. The impact sent her into the wall behind her, but didn't hurt. She growled, "Naruto-baka!" her fist swung at his head, glowing blue with chakra.

Naruto caught her fist on his palm and pressed against her, molding himself to her. His other hand trapped her arm to the wall. He stared at her coldly, "I don't feel like answering that stupid question. And I'm getting tired of the noise."

His eyes shifted to where he had stopped her punch. "You getting weak Sakura. Or were you pulling you punch?"

She struggled, "Let go you idiot!"

Naruto's face twitched and Sakura went cold. It felt like her strength had completely deserted her. The sudden pressure made it difficult to draw breath. Naruto pushed his face past hers to whisper in her ear.

"Why should I care about anything you say. Even that pathetic Uchiha recognized how useless you are. I promised to bring him back to you, but it was a childish vow. Don't think Sakura that I am the same loser that lets you punch on him. I'm not the orange stripped fool you seem to like calling names so much. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, not your crutch to take out your little girl fears on."

He growled deep in his throat as she almost went limp. "Don't stop struggling Sakura. It's no fun if you give up... You did want to play didn't you?..." His tone had turned from menacing to playful… in a predatory sort of way.

She turned her head to the side as pain carved through her hand and wrist. Claws were poking from his fingers, cutting furrows across her skin. Naruto pulled back slightly. "Come on Sakura... you were always trying to get to Sasuke, but what do you think he was into? Romance and puppy love... no. He was more the handcuffs and bedpost kind of guy."

He grinned, "Although I admit I never figured out which side of the equation he preferred," Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before he chuckled, "But you're more of the sweet girl... not the S&M kind. You just want your tender moments with the dark bad boy so you can feel special."

His hot breath blew across her neck and down her shirt. Sakura whimpered and tried to pull free again, putting as much strength as she could into it. But no matter how much chakra she forced into her arms and legs… his grip didn't so much as loosen.

Naruto held her until she felt she was about to drop... then he let her go. Sakura stumbled to the door, flinging it open before she caught her balance and dashed away as fast as she could go.

 **ooo**

Inoichi pulled out of her mind with a shout, falling on his ass as he did so. Tsunade demanded, "Inoichi! What is it?!"

He wiped sweat from his brow. "Something is defiantly wrong with that boy. And not in the goofy way everyone loves. He was... terrifying in that memory. I've never seen or heard of him acting like that. It seemed completely at odds with his normal personality. And... he was using _that_ chakra. I could feel it even though her mind.

Tsunade paled herself, "Inoichi, I thank you for your help, but right now I need you to come with me to Naruto's apartment. Shizune! have ANBU on standby!"

Her assistant nodded and rushed out of the room, quickly followed by the Hokage and Inoichi.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto closed the door to his room and looked back at Tayuya. "Did you like that?"

She shook her head, "No."

He smiled, "Have you decided whether you want me or nice Naruto? Honestly, I _enjoy_ having the chance to play around a bit. I was hoping Sakura would give in though... It's a shame that my other side would be furious if I actually did anything to her."

Tayuya gulped once before saying quietly, "I want the other one back. And I don't want to see you again."

"Aw Tayuya-chan... you wound me so. Is it that you dislike me that much?"

She turned away, "Yes. Go away and bring the idiot back. I like him better. You're insane."

Naruto moved towards her, quickly moving atop her. "But he can't touch you like I can. We're different _he_ and _I_. I... Know things. He's too ignorant or noble to notice or act sometimes. You _are_ my wife... in a sense. Don't you want to have the strong, cunning one as your mate?"

Tayuya felt a claw trace down the side of her face... a razor sharp caress. _"No... nonono No NO!"_

"I don't fucking care! I choose the other one!"

Naruto smirked, "That was an odd way of answering me. First you say you don't care. And then you tell me that you would prefer the other me."

She brought her hand around to smack him, "Get off me! and leave me Alone! Give back the nice Naruto, demon!"

He pulled back and stepped off the bed. "Very well Tayuya Uzumaki. If that's your choice..."

Tayuya watched as Naruto tilted his head and smiled again. He pushed in close once more. His face was an inch from hers. He purred, "... however, if you want me to leave _right now_ then you'll have to pay for it... How about a kiss for your mate."

"Fuck you. Leave!"

Tayuya bristled as he his expression changed to a pout. "Aw... Tayuya... not even a lick? or a peck on the cheek?"

She hissed, "Fine...!"

Naruto turned his head slightly, inviting her to do it. She grimaced and moved to press her lips to his cheek. His head turned at the last second and their lips touched. Tayuya's eyes flashed open wide as claws raked her once under her breasts and Naruto pushed forward, deepening the kiss. His powerful muscles levered her down till she was lying flat under him.

Butterflies exploded in her stomach even as she grabbed handfuls of his jacket and pushed. It didn't work for a moment. Her chakra surged through her arms and she forced herself back further, breaking the kiss as her cheeks flushed red.

Naruto's fox like smile vanished. It was replaced instantly by confusion and surprise... and... his cheeks went red.

Across the room from them the door opened with a bang and Tsunade strode in, followed by Inoichi.

Both of them stopped dead. Tsunade's eyes registered that Tayuya was under Naruto, her hands grasping at his chest while Naruto was on top of her. One arm by her head and the other on her belly. Both of their faces were bright red. Tsunade felt acute shock as Naruto's blue eyes flicked to Inoichi, then to hers, then to Tayuya's and back.

Naruto looked down at Tayuya. She was... under him and he was holding her down. Her soft skin rubbed against his as he attempted to piece together what the hell happened. He wasn't in his bed. He was in hers. She was right there and they were... molded together, sensuously. Her face was flushed a deep crimson... and her lips were slightly parted.

The moment froze in his mind. His thoughts back tracked to the last thing he remembered.

The soft satin of her red lips on his... Had she kissed him... or the other way around? Naruto blinked as a massive migraine loomed just over the proverbial horizon. He realized that they were so close... he could smell her distinct scent past the strong aroma of shampoo and conditioner.

His heart beat loud in his ears and he stopped trying to piece the last... however long it had been out... together.

Tsunade opened her mouth to shout and Naruto decided for a tactical retreat. He pulled back in one fluid movement and made twenty clones. They poofed into existence, filling the room with white smoke. He used the diversion to jump off Tayuya and hide his chakra signature as best he could. Then he blasted out of the window over his bed, followed by a mass of clones.

Immediately he was swarmed by ANBU. He ducked and weaved, dodging paralysis Jutsu and quite a few disabling nets. His feet touched the street and he was off like an Olympic sprinter (with chakra mind you). He quickly separated from his clones as they dashed off in all directions. He knew Konoah better than the ANBU. Every niche and cubby was his own hiding place.

A place where he might be able to figure out what the hell had happened.

 **Que the whiners. So what did everybody think of Naruto's DARK side? Hm...? I won't just be handing out information on him, but he will be a fairly beg part of this story. Expect to see him in future.**

 **Now for a moment, back to my poll. Everyone seems to want Shion. This is perhaps one of the harder pairings to do with this story. Since she is from the fillers in Shippuden, she wouldn't even come into play for quite a while. In addition to that she and Tayuya would rip each others throats out. Are there any worse pairs of girls? Besides maybe Kurotsuchi and Tayuya?**

 **I suppose I should touch on the stuff that Naruto inherited. It's property that Minato and Kushina acquired during their time as Shinobi of the leaf. It was rented out by the Third Hokage to various people so that Naruto would have enough funds to jumpstart his clan.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Ember

**And here is the next chapter. I was wondering how dark Naruto would be received... hm... Did you guys like it or not? The reviews seemed mixed. Most of you seem to be waiting to see what happens next huh?**

 **Oh well. I know where the story is going. We'll see if you can figure it out. Ah well. There are conclusive results on the front of a secondary pairing. The top to responses are**

 **Karin Uzumaki - 25**

 **No additional pairing - 19**

 **And thus under normal circumstances... I would happily add Karin in. However, it's a bit of a stretch to put her in at this point. And the drama involved is kind of a hassle with all the stuff I've already planned out. So... if you readers really want her, you got to put in some effort. I know how they would fit together. That part is kinda obvious, but if you must have her then you need to give me some plot ideas. Kukukuku...**

 **Now I must restrain my Orochimaruistc tendencies and provide the disclaimer.**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto)**

 **ooo**

Tsunade ran to the window the moment the smoke cleared. "Damn! He got away already! That boy is going to kill me one day with these stunts. Can't he stay put for one damned second?!"

She spun to see Tayuya sitting up slowly. Her cheeks were still dark with her blush, but she seemed alright. Better than Sakura for sure. Tsunade walked over to her and asked harshly, "What happened? Tell me now."

Tayuya looked up at her, "He... not... him, but the other one... he kissed...me..." She seemed to be in shock... which she probably also was. She touched her lips with one finger, smoothing over them.

Inoichi stepped forward, "What do you mean by the 'other one'?"

Tayuya shook her head. "Naruto... his other... self..."

Tsunade asked, "Are you talking about the Kyuubi?! Was Naruto possessed?! And why in Kami's name was he doing that?!"

She shook her head, "Not the demon. It was Naruto, but... I..." She didn't know what "he" had been. A dormant personality of Naruto's... or even the real Naruto that he kept locked away under a perfect mask. Maybe it was the demon. Her mind was too mixed up to know. _"He... kissed me. like that... Why do I feel like I wan..like it want it...?"_

Tayuya felt the onset of a headache as her brain replayed the moment that he pushed forward. The chill in her bones turning to heat as he... "OW! Fuck!" She put her hands to her head as pain blossomed behind her eyes. It drove a freight train though her thoughts as Inoichi bent down next to her.

He said, "Listen Tayuya, I can help block off the memories if it will help, but I have to go through them first. We need to know what happened to Naruto. We only saw a little bit through Sakura." He placed a hand on top of her and focused his chakra. This would likely hurt a little, but it was much more direct and he could look for the specific memory he needed.

Inoichi fell inside her thoughts, quickly becoming caught up in the one that was causing so much turmoil inside her. He saw from Tayuya's eyes as she kissed him. _"Jeeze... that was... Huh? What was that?"_

 ** _"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_**

Inoichi gasped as excruciating pain slammed him from her mind. He walled himself off from her mental shout before it could turn his own thoughts to mush. _"Holy crap, that was close... she almost fried me. She's much stronger than I thought."_

Standing he shook his head to clear it. Then he glanced at Tsunade. "I won't be able to get anything else out of her without stringent preparation. If I guess right from what I saw in Sakura's memories and just now. The flash I received from her before she tossed me out. I would guess that Naruto has a dual personality that was somehow brought to the surface."

Tsunade grimaced, "This is the first time I've heard of it. Naruto might have been weird, but he never showed signs of being bipolar, much less having a complete personality shift. Although this could be something that developed during his training trip with Jiraiya. But I would be amazed if Jiraiya didn't notice it."

Inoichi looked down at Tayuya as she cradled her head her hands. "She is going to need some time to recover I think. What do we do until then?"

"We leave her here for now. Post a few ANBU around to make sure she doesn't leave. Naruto should come back when he's ready. No point searching for him now. It would be like trying to find a needled in a haystack. Honestly I think we should play it by ear." She sighed, "This had been a headache from beginning to end. This girl is unstable. Naruto is unstable... and Danzo is just waiting for his chance to get a hold on either of them."

If she didn't already have a good guess as to what Danzo wanted, she would have suspected that he had done something to Naruto to cause this. But as it was, it didn't match with his goals. Tsunade spoke to Tayuya, "Stay here. If you need something, there will be ANBU outside.

The girl didn't answer. She had closed her eyes to slits, trying to block out the pain. Tsunade sighed and gathered a flicker of chakra to her fingertips. Then she placed them lightly on the back of her neck. Tayuya went rigid, then relaxed back with a groan.

Inoichi asked, "Will that help?"

"Don't know. Having someone manipulate you thoughts can be excruciating. I'm not at all well versed in the arts of mental healing... and even you're more focused towards interrogation. I can only wonder what she went through for the last two years between Sasuke's disappearance and now. And then before that, serving under Orochimaru. This is why I requested that she come to me once she settled in. So that she could have some time to adapt before we plied her brain for info on him."

He raised his eyebrow, "And what about Naruto?"

Tsunade turned to leave. "If there was a top ten of most unpredictable ninja... he'd beat the next five on the list combined. He'll show when he's ready."

Inoichi grumbled, "I know who his parents were and I know he trained with the Toad Sage... but considering what I saw in Sakura's mind, you have a shocking amount of faith in that boy."

She smiled thinly, "I do, now let's go. Naruto's not going to come back while we're here..."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto returned a few hours later to find Tayuya asleep. She had curled up into a ball on top of the covers. He closed the drapes on the window as he stood over her.

 _"I don't know what to think... or what to do. I'm sure she kissed me... and I'm sure that I... pushed back, but I can't remember how it came to that to save my life. And... I can't get it out of my head. Kyuubi won't talk to me about it either..._

He scratched his chin, still just as confused as he had been when he hightailed it from the Hokage. It was frustrating. Like a mental itch that he just couldn't reach. Tayuya had said something to him and then there was a big blank space... and then the kiss. _"I can't stop thinking about it... It's going to drive me crazy."_

Naruto didn't know what else to do so he moved to his own bed. And there he lay... for hours more, unable to fall asleep or banish the strange feeling in his chest.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto blinked awake the next morning. A second later his alarm blared out is brazen war cry. Naruto smashed it before so much as half a tone escaped it. The jarring sound of it crunching removed the last vestiges of sleep from him.

 _"Grrr... That's the fourth damn alarm clock I've smashed by reflex since I came back from training with Pervy Sage. One more thing I have to worry about I guess."_

An annoyed voice spoke from the other side of the room. "Took you long enough to wake up lazy ass."

He pushed himself to his elbows. Tayuya was sitting on her bed, her red hair splayed out around her. The eyes, which looked haggard, glared out at him. Despite the look she was giving him, which reminded him of an annoyed tiger, a part of his mind admired her beauty in the face of sleep deprivation. It was obvious that she hadn't received a full night of sleep. The circles under her eyes from the day before... remain and had grown a shade darker.

Naruto coughed lightly, clearing his throat. "Um... morning Tayuya-chan..."

"Don't call me that Shit head."

He blinked and yawned loudly. He stretched and slipped his feet off the bedside. "Well that's no way to be talking to your darling husband this early in the morning."

She scowled, "Don't mention that, idiot."

Naruto gave her a pout, "Ok...then, what would you like me to call you then? Is your regular name just fine Ta-yu-ya?"

"Not if you say it like that!"

He groaned, "Oh well... pardon me for trying to mix it up. Do you prefer Mrs. Uzumaki?"

The glare she shot him would have melted steel.

"I didn't think so. Now I think I said something about me not being your enemy. I really don't care about the foul language as long as it isn't being substituted for my name."

She turned her head away from him and let out a sound that clearly expressed her lack of agreement on that topic. Naruto got out of bed and moved across the room. He changed clothes quickly, half expecting her to get pissed at him. But thankfully she seemed to be less enamored of modesty when she wasn't fresh out of the shower.

Tayuya glanced back at him, her expression becoming more curious than angry. "What are you up to?"

He said, "I have training to do. And I'm not a support fighter. My abilities are tuned towards medium/close range combat with highly destructive jutsu. Therefore I need a large training field to get anything done."

"And you're just going to leave me here unattended?"

He rolled his eyes, "You think that I'm really stupid don't you?"

"You guessed it moron."

Naruto glared at her in return and brought his hands together. There was a puff of smoke and a second Naruto appeared. The original gave her a cheery wave before disappearing out the door. Tayuya turned to the clone. He was... well... a clone in every sense of the word. She felt annoyance building as the clone simply sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Tayuya slipped off the bed and moved to sit in front of the clone. She demanded, "What orders did he give you?"

The clone opened one blue eye humorously, "Boss said you would try interrogating me. Oh well, I guess it won't hurt. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you of course. If you kill me then boss will know something's up and come running. If you try to escape I am to prevent you from doing so to the best of my abilities. Other than that... he gave me enough chakra to make on additional clone for you to use as you wish."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that true or did he instruct you to make fun of me too?"

The clone shrugged, "If you don't believe a humble clone like myself, well, that's not my problem. But boss doesn't want you shouting at him because you wanted something all day while he was out training."

Tayuya smacked the clone upside the head.

It didn't disperse.

"I knew it. You just sent off a clone so you could see how I'd react to being left alone!"

The clone smiled, "Sorry Tayuya, but you are mistaken. Apparently you don't know much about shadow clones. You see, our durability is determined by the amount of chakra we are given, just as the jutsu we use are restricted. If boss puts almost half his full chakra reserves into a clone like me... I can be _very_ durable. You could wail on me for a few minutes before I dispersed."

She crooked an eyebrow. "Why so much chakra?"

The clone's grin became feral. "Boss has nearly seventeen times as much charka as you... and that is without the Kyuubi. Even with half his chakra, I could overpower you."

Tayuya's jaw dropped, "OVERPOWERED BY A CLONE?!"

The blond copy of Naruto inserted a finger in his ear and twisted it as if to say, "Could you be any louder?"

She growled, "I would never be beaten by a fucking clone of some orange retard! I can't believe a stupid clone is mouthing off to me anyway!" Tayuya grabbed him by the front of his... mostly black... jacket and attempted to haul him off his feet. Unfortunately he was much taller than her and she only succeeded in dragging him to his feet where he looked down at her... amused.

"You seem angry Tayuya. Was it something I said?"

She roared, "Of course it wasn't just that! It's that insolent smile you keep flashing, it's you fucking laughing at me like this, and it's this stupid situation! I should have let myself starve in the forest rather than get involved with you!"

The clone apparently found this highly amusing as well. She heard him start to chuckle and stepped back ,letting go of his jacket.

"Tayuya. I don't get why you're so pissed. Boss is trying to be nice. It's not easy for him. He has no experience with girls in this situation."

She cursed him loudly, switching into an entirely different language for some of it. When she finished venting a little of her wrath she demanded, "Why are you so composed then. You must be a defective clone or something. You don't act just like him."

He tilted his head, still grinning, "And once again you knowledge of shadow clones seems lacking. It's well known that shadow clones can easily develop personalities opposed to their creator after being given certain directions."

She stopped. "What do you mean by certain directions?"

He said, "For instance I was also directed to keep you company... unless you said you wanted to be left alone... or something along those lines. I'm adapting to try and figure out how to complete my directive properly." The clone raised his eyebrow, while dropping the grin. "The shadow clone jutsu was invented a long time ago and is the root of all clone jutsu. The elemental release versions are all easier to use, requiring much less chakra, but they are much more limited in their use. A fire style clone will only ever be an exact copy or the original, with no ability to learn or adapt. I could master a new jutsu and then pass on the knowledge to boss."

Tayuya blinked, "You seem to know an awful lot for a stupid clone."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

She moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. "Fine then. If you've been ordered to keep me company then you can start telling me about Naruto. I'm not going to get stuck listening to his life story from him."

The clone smiled again, "You're kinda weird... you know that right?"

"Just get on with it clone."

He sat down again, "Ok... To start out with... Boss doesn't know who his father is and only recently knew who his mother was. He is an orphan. He doesn't clearly remember much before he was five. He lived in this village his entire life, enrolling in the academy at age...

Tayuya groaned, "I didn't want a boring historical account of every damn event. I was asking about how he thought, what he thinks about. I know the big events in his life."

The clone scratched his chin, "Um... I'm not sure boss would like me telling you about his inner thoughts and feelings..."

"Tough! Tell me anyway!"

He looked extremely uncomfortable. "I uh... maybe another question..."

She swore, "Damn it! And I thought you'd be useful. Fine. Tell me what Naruto thinks of me... and no lies."

"He's already told you that."

Tayuya cracked her knuckles, "Details clone... or else I'll test how many hits your good for."

The clone cringed, "Yeah... ok... Boss is extremely confused about you. He think of you as family because of your Uzumaki blood and wants to help you... But he also feels that he can't trust you because of how you were trained by Orochimaru. He... wants to like you, but you're constantly making it clear you want to stay as enemies..."

"Anything else" She asked it while eyeing the clone dangerously. She wasn't sure how far she could take the threat. A clone was a clone after all. He might not have any order to fight back if she attacked him, but... he would be aware of that too.

He muttered, "Boss would kill me for this... fine, but only if you ask politely."

She gritted her teeth, "Tell me... please..."

The clone sighed, "Boss doesn't remember much of what happened yesterday, but he remembers the kiss. He liked it."

"Wha...?"

She gaped like a fish for a moment, "Are you fucking serious?! He doesn't remember any of that!?"

"Nope."

Tayuya felt like hitting the clone. _"But that won't do any good. And why the hell is this clone so informative? I've seen clones before. None of them were like this. But I guess it goes with what he said. Orochimaru told me once that the Shadow clone jutsu is part of the hidden scroll of the village. So it makes sense that most of the clone jutsu I've seen were of a different type."_

She frowned, _"And what the hell does he mean that Naruto liked it? Grrr... I can't ask him about it. Naruto will know everything that me and his copy talked about so I can't afford to ask that. Shit! I wish this wasn't so damn tedious. What the fuck did I do to get my life so fucked up?!"_

A few minutes passed and the clone asked, "Is there anything you want or need that I can get. Naruto did tell me to do what you wanted to a certain extent."

Tayuya sighed, "Anything?"

"Well, not _anything._ But within reason."

She thought for a moment... then said, "Get me a good flute from one of the shops in the village... something with at least eight holes."

There was no movement of the clone going to perform this task. Instead he asked, "Do I look stupid. I'm not supposed to do anything to aid in your escape. Buying you something that you can make us of as an effective weapon isn't on my list of things I'm allowed to fetch."

She snapped, "A simple flute, not a chakra laced metal combat flute! Do you think I could weave my demon song with a normal flute? Orochimaru had my old one custom made for me. It would take a month to recreate one to match. The most I could do with a civilian flute would be charm animals or weak minded people. Real genjutsu is beyond that."

The clone shrugged, "Ok... I won't be the one in trouble if you're deceiving me." He made another clone and left by the window. She watched the new clone. It didn't move. She figured that this one had been ordered to keep her inside the room without fail and without doing anything to the contrary.

She sighed in an aggravated way and collapsed backwards. _"If he gets a half way decent flute... at least I'll be able to play myself some music. Won't be too bad. But I wish I had my old flute that Kimimaro gave me."_

Years ago, when she was only ten years old, Kimimaro had taken her aside from the general group of prisoners. He'd found her entrancing an entire group of her fellow inmates with her tune. She wasn't trying to hurt them or anything, but she had a special gift for the instrument. He'd showed her his ability to manipulate his bone by crafting her a long flute of his hardest bone. It played an eerie and haunting melody. She'd kept it for all those years, even into her time as a member of the Sound Five. And then later when Kimimaro had fallen ill she'd stopped playing on it. But now she wished to have it with her. The bone, worn smooth by countless hours playing.

She remembered the time Orochimaru had been looking for her one day after he'd first recruited her and found himself caught by her melody. Not a song meant for combat, but one that expressed herself. It was the only time she'd seen him with a genuine smile. Or at least a genuine smile that wasn't derived from his gruesome experiments.

 _"I wonder what Naruto would think of that song... Would he like it too?"_

A moment past and she jerked up, pulling the muscle in her lower back, "OUCH!" _"Shit! Why am I thinking like that again!?"_

She massaged her back as pain bit deeply, making her grit her teeth in anger. _"I swear, that ass causes me more pain than my fucking legs did."_ Tayuya left the bed and moved to the window, looking out at the village. It looked peaceful. There were a few civilians walking along at his this hour, but most seemed to be shinobi. Some even looked to be walking hand in hand. This annoyed her for some reason she couldn't quite pinpoint. Even as she watched the street, she saw someone she recognized. A young man with wild dark hair. He wore a dark brown jacket that was almost black. The red tattoos on his cheek marked him as a member of the Inuzuka clan.

Tayuya saw him stoop down to pat a immense white dog by his side. She sneered. He was a pig. Like Naruto, he was foolish and idealistic, but he was easily twice as arrogant as the blond jinchuriki. He'd shown that during the time they waited for Naruto to show up for the clan meet.

As she watched there was a popping sound from behind her. She turned in time to see the original clone... or what she assumed was the original clone. He had a long dull red flute in one hand. Tayuya asked, "How'd you get back so fast?"

Shrugging, the clone tossed the flute to her. She caught it deftly. It was slightly shorter than her battle flute and had two less holes, but it seemed well made. Though... she didn't recognize the material. She asked, "What is it made out of?"

He scratched his head. "The vendor said it was made out of something called Ironwood. An import from the land of stone. It was the only one that looked good."

She nodded fractionally. _"He's right. It's well made if this is Ironwood. Hm... he obviously doesn't know about the properties of Ironwood. This would be a perfect combat flute if it had two more holes. Unfortunately I can't work any genjutsu with this unless they're very simple. But I can summon and control my demons with this."_

"You seem happy with it."

Tayuya looked up, "Why would I be happy with it?"

"You haven't cursed me out for buying a lame flute."

She shifted, uneasy. _"He's getting better at reading me. I'm not used to living with someone I need to be secretive around. Grr... I hate him... and especially this stupid clone."_

The clone in question, smiled politely, "Why do I get the feeling that you're silently plotting the Boss's demise?"

Tayuya's eye twitched, _"Way too good at reading me... stupid clone."_

He asked, "So, are you going to play me a tune Tayuya?"

She growled, "Why would I!?"

"Well, we aren't going to be separated from each other for a while, so unless you intend on waiting for the exact opportunity when you can play alone... I'd suggest getting what enjoyment out of it that you can. I'm not going anywhere."

Tayuya thought, _"Bastard copy has a point. I asked for a flute so I could enjoy playing. But I can't insist o doing it alone. Hmph! I'm not playing personal music for him. Let's see how much he shivers if I play the lesser demon dance..."_

She put her lips to the flute and started to gather her breath.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Temari sighed as Shikamaru was forced to stop again. He sneezed explosively and took a step back to steady himself.

She asked, "What number is that? Twenty? Either someone is talking some serious shit about you or you need to take some medication. It would be bad if we got ambushed with you in this state."

She meant it as a joke, but he didn't smile. He wiped his nose, annoyed. "It's troublesome, but I did inhale a ton of pepper when I was making breakfast this morning."

"Oh... that's what it is? Well, that explains it."

His face twitched, but not from allergies. They both heard a sharp clear note echo down the streets and over the building. Seven more piercing notes rang out in rising volume. Temari glance down the street. She said, "Looks like someone is about to start playing... is that a flute?"

Shikamaru unfroze and stuffed his hands in his pockets as the sound stopped. He moved to continue down the street when the note started up again.

The melody started out low and rose and rose till it was shrill, then it descended into a complex series of notes. Temari shivered, "Damn that sounds eerie."

Shikamrau was frozen again. _"I know that tune... I've heard it somewhere..."_ He racked his brain for an answer... then it came to him. _"Fuck no..."_

Temari was startled as Shikamaru leapt to the nearest roof, scanning for the source of the music. The haunting song drove daggers of apprehension up his spine and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to go rigid. _"That girl... Two years ago during the mission to rescue Sasuke. The one with the red hair and the flute. She came so close to killing me it was scary... Where is that music coming from?!"_

Below him in the street Temari asked, "Shika-kun! What's up with you? You're supposed to be escorting me to the embassy!"

He shouted down to her, "Temari, get up here! That's the exact same song that the Sound Five kunoichi used to get the best of me two years ago!"

Her expression changed then, "WHAT!?"

Shikamaru scanned the rooftops, searching for the telltale trace of red. He found it a moment later. _"What in Kami's name is going on?! That's Naruto's apartment!"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto's clone had closed his eyes, listening to the song that filled his room. Tayuya seemed flustered that he wasn't negatively affected by the music... but the thing was. He liked it. _"Pity boss isn't here. He'd like this."_

He opened his eyes, keeping tabs on Tayuya's chakra. From what he could feel, she wasn't drawing any at the moment, but he wasn't a sensory type so she could probably hide it from him if she wished. He blinked as he saw a blur by the window. _"That's... oh shit!"_ A black ink stain flooded the floor, reaching for Tayuya.

His reaction was instant. Tayuya found herself on the bed behind her. He held fast in the tenuous grip of the tentacle like shadows. He knew who it was immediately. "Shikamaru! This isn't what it looks like. She isn't an enemy!"

Outside the window Shikamaru looked somewhat less than convinced. He asked, "Then what is she doing here?"

"She survived the battle with you and Temari-chan. She was living in the forest for two years, but gave it up and turned herself in. She's living here with the Boss right now."

Shikamaru tilted his head, "I knew it. You're a clone... as shadow clone, which means you're immune to this jutsu."

He grinned, "Pretty much. I let myself get caught for a moment. Anyway, she's not a threat, I promise. Your dad is actually supposed to tell you about the situation pretty soon."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow, "And what is the situation?"

Tayuya growled and jumped off the bed. "Hey twerp! I'd hoped you'd died from some horrible accident, but it looks like you're still annoying as shit." She said, "It's none of your business until someone makes it your business. I'm still technically an A-class secret."

The clone groaned, "Could you somehow stop insulting everyone? I'm only a clone ya know. If you get the whole village trying to stone you, I can't stop them."

Temari landed next to Shikamaru with a small breeze blowing about her. Temari's eyes locked on Tayuya's. "It is you. I thought I killed you."

Tayuya spat, "No! What you did was seriously fuck up my legs. So much that I had to crawl around for two years! Sand village bitch!"

The blond Kunoichi mouthed silently, "Wow." Then she looked at Shikamaru, "It doesn't look like she changed at all. Still as foul mouthed as the day I _almost_ killed her. Honestly I thought a few hundred tons of wood would do the trick."

Naruto's clone really wanted to tell Temari not to antagonize Tayuya, but figured it would do any of them any good. After all the Suna Kunoichi had quite the temper of her own sometimes.

Tayuya was about to go ballistic when she felt a hand on her shoulder, followed by a loud popping sound. Naruto's voice said, "Ok... ok, can we not do this right now. Shikamaru, Temari-chan... would you mind not setting her off?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "If she's under control and not a danger... I'm fine with her."

Temari mimicked him, "Same for me."

Naruto nodded and said, "Tayuya, please stop insulting my friends. Now, we need to talk." He turned to his two friends again, "Would you mind guys?"

Shikamaru gave the smallest of whispers, but Naruto caught it. "What a drag..."

 **ooo**

 **oooooo**

 **ooo**

 _-Somewhere in the land of Lightning-_

"YO! Yu-gi-to my girl, how you gonna hurl, my new jutsu gonna put you in a whirl... YEAH!"

To anyone watching the bizarre scene unfold, it might have been hilarious. A huge man with dark skin and a white Cloud village vest was sparring with a petite girl of about twenty. She had long blond hair in a braid behind her. It swung wildly as she dodged his lightning fast attacks. Her limber body twisted as she bent over backwards. The tips of her fingers touched the ground behind her even as her feet left the ground.

She cart wheeled away from her massive opponent. One thing was on her mind. Getting away from the dozens of crackling blue bolts of electricity which blasted from B's fingertips.

"Come on Yugito! Just let me zap you! you know you need to feel my extreme power, YEAH!"

She shouted as she came back on her feet and settled into a defensive stance, "Yeah right B. I'm not planning on letting you touch me with those fat little sausages you call fingers!"

Killer-B stopped dead in his tracks. "Wha...?"

Yugito watched as he whipped out a little black notebook and a pencil and started writing furiously. He muttered as he scribbled, "Hm... Sausages huh? Never thought of using that in that kind a situation. Not sure if I can use that but... ok..."

She smirked and slowly drew out a kunai from her pouch. Sending lightning chakra through the hilt, she watched as B closed his book. He looked up and their eyes met. Well... as best as they could while he wore his dark shades.

Quick as a flash B threw his hands out, fingers extended. Blue light flashed at the tips and she threw her kunai directly between them.

 **BOOM!**

B landed several feet away, skidding for a moment before he flipped to his feet. "Yugito! What was that?! Almost made me go splat, yo!"

Her smirk turned feral as she dashed at him, drawing on her chakra and sending it into the air directly in front of her. B's eyes widened as she ignited the space between them with blue fire. Yugito plunged through the flame and felt it latch onto her. _'Try this out for size B. My new Taijutu style. These flames won't burn me but you aren't so lucky!'_

B realized this a second later as she lashed out at him. He twisted to the size and her fist sailed past him, the blue flames licking at his flak jacket. The heat caused his eyebrows to raise in surprise. _'Woah! Yugito-chan's getting serious with her jutsu. Where did she learn how to d that? She hasn't been training in secret again has she. Ought to know big bro'll give her hell for keeping stuff from him.'_

An annoyed voice from the back of his mind interrupted him with a sarcastic comment which he did his best to ignore. _"Hey ...You back man! I was wonderin how you can ignore your number one partner!"_

 **"You are tiresome B. Need I remind you? I'm still recovering from your escapade with Yugito!"**

 _"Woah man, You know I sorry about that business! No need to be cold about it!"_

 **"Find some way to stay out of trouble for a few weeks and I'll get around to forgiving you eventually."**

 _"Hey! That no fair, How am I supposed to bust out my mean rhymes in a fight if you're not shoving some power my way?!"_

 **"You heard me. Behave yourself and I'll consider lending you chakra again."**

 _"Such an uncool way of looking at things..."_

B came out of his trance as his blades fended off Yugito through sheer muscle memory. He might be off in B-land but his body was an amazing multitasker. He smirked as his blond friend tried to impale him with a flaming kunai.

He ducked and rolled, incredibly flexible for his size. Yugito leapt over him, narrowly avoiding a sweep of his arm. He found his footing quickly as Yugito came down and whirled. They were about to start again when a familiar voice called out to them from the side of the training field.

"Hey! Lord Raikage wants to see you two ASAP!"

B and Yugito turned to see Darui standing at the edge of the circular plateau. His expression was a perfect mix of exasperation and boredom. He scratched the back of his head giving them a raised eyebrow, "And if I were you two, I'd get going. He ain't in a good mood."

Yugito cringed but decided it would be best to follow the man's suggestion. Darui was usually spot on with anything he set his mind to.

"Ok, I'm going."

"See ya man!"

 **ooo**

Killer B's face met the floor with enough force left over to crack it. A split second later he was back on his feet, smiling broadly, "Yo! Big bro, what you got for us?! I'm dyin for a mission if ya know what I mean!"

The Raikage pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't have time for this B. Right now I have a mission for the both of you... Under the circumstances I would never send either of you to do this, but several reasons have compelled me to do so."

Yugito glanced at Darui who stood, silent, behind the massive leader of Kumogature. Her eyes turned back to Lord A. "Um... what is this mission?"

He stood and turned around, looking out the great windows over his village. His voice boomed out in the office. "I'm sending both of you along with a single team of our most accomplished genin to Konoah. Yugito! You will be acting as senior instructor to the group as they advance through the Exams. B, you will do everything in your power to make contact with the Jincuriki of the Kyuubi."

Both of them looked at each other dumbstruck. B decided to ask the obvious before Yugito could get in trouble for it.

"Uh... I'm not sure that's a good idea big bro... We kinda snubbed Konoah last time they invited us to come. And last I heard we didn't get no invitation..."

Lord A said, "It just came. Listen! The Akatsuki are in the Land of Lightning. I have received several reports that the so called 'Zombie Duo' has been in the western valleys. They are coming here for you two. I don't have any doubt in that. And honestly, with what I've heard of them, I'm uncomfortable with having either of you here. B! You are blatantly disobedient and you're likely to get yourself killed if they find you."

"But!"

"But NOTHING! I have thought this out! Now you need to know that my opinion of the current Hokage has changed somewhat. I think I was mistaken about her processor's intentions. This new offer is simply a gesture of good will towards her fellow Kage."

B scratched his chin, "I see where you're going Bro. You want me to go in with Yugito for two reasons. First you want us out of the village while the Akatsuki are here... and second you want me to get buddy-buddy with the Jinchuriki O the Ninetails..."

The older man shook his head, "No... What I want is you to get a feel for him. See if he has any chance of mastering his power on his own. If he can then I want you befriend him. If he can't... then the Leaf has a weakness. A loose cannon Jinchuriki would be easy prey for you two."

Yugito coughed, "Why would we befriend him if he had a chance of mastering the Kyuubi?"

"Simple. I'm considering forming a solid alliance with the Leaf again. I am not blind as the Tsuchikage. I can see past our differences to a common enemy. Each of the Akatsuki are near or above Kage level. There may be some as strong as myself. As it is Konoah only lacks a trained Jinchuriki to be the dominant village. The Village hidden in the Stone has just barely recovered from their last war. Suna is weak as it always will be. Isolated and possessing the weakest of the jinchuriki. Kiri is in shambles still. If we ally with Konoah then we will be completely safe from the other villages until the Akatsuki can be properly dealt with."

B asked, "So, you're worried about the Akatsuki that much?"

A nodded, "Darui... show them."

Darui stepped forward and opened a folder on A's desk. B and Yugito leaned in close to look. Yugito covered her mouth in horror.

A said, "That is a report on a small village to the far north. They were pacifists... but they are distant descendants of the first Raikage... like me. They had a unique ability to manipulate the natural energy in the air around them by dispersing their own around them like a mist. I was good friends with the leader of the village."

Darui coughed, "As Boss was saying, there were several high Jonin level shinobi in that village. They were slain by a single man. As far as the one surviving witness knows... he didn't even use Ninjutsu."

B's jaw dropped, "Damn! That messed up!"

Yugito blinked and pointed at the picture, "What is that?"

Darui shrugged, "We don't know. Some symbol made in blood. They were scattered all around the village in varying sizes. The point is, one man did this. Yugito... you wouldn't be able to accomplish the same unless you were in full tailed beast state. And we know the Akatsuki has special methods for defeating released Biju."

B asked, "So... are you actually thinking of... you know... making good with Konoah even after you tried to nab a couple dozen of their kids over the last ten years?"

A growled, "I don't want to hear it B. Darui has the details for you. But B..."

"Yeah bro?"

"If you try to twist the rules here... I'll make rapping an offence punishable by death. Understood. NO MORE STUPID SHIT."

"YO! I got this! No need to be fussin!"

 **ooo**

 **oooooo**

 **ooo**

 _-One week later-_

Tayuya left Hokage tower... unescorted. At least she thought she wasn't being followed. She never could tell. The ANBU here were a sneaky bunch even by the standards of ANBU in other villages. Maybe Iwa had more devious special Ops nin, but there was no way to be sure.

And it didn't really matter. She was... supposedly... free to go about the village now. She received odd stares from almost everyone as she walked down the street, heading for Naruto's apartment. After... the incident with Shikamaru she tried to stay there as much as she could until everyone had settled down. For a while she'd been a hot topic. And by hot she meant that there had been three attempts on her life.

Gratitude... she didn't want to admit that she was possible of feeling this for Naruto, but... After a member of the Hyuuga clan had tried to cut her throat. Well, she could safely say that she owed Naruto one.

It was strange. When he'd saved her, she didn't even know he was there. All she saw was the Hyuuga lunging for her... and suddenly there was an explosion of blue light and everything in the room did a 360 as a blast of wind took the Chunin out the other side of the wall.

And then Naruto had left. He returned a few hours later to tell her that she had nothing to worry about from the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi had been appalled that a member of his family had attempted to kill her, even if he was a branch clan member. She didn't know what happened to the young man until she asked Tsunade about twenty minutes ago. Apparently Naruto had refused to level any charges, saying "Being paralyzed from the neck down for a few years is more than enough punishment."

Privately she agreed with him, but she wouldn't admit it. _"I wish I could talk to him damit. He comes in to eat... check on me... and to sleep... sometimes. I mean, what the hell is he doing? I can't believe that anyone is so crazy about training that he skips two days of rest for it. He must have a fucking girlfriend or something. I bet that's it."_

It annoyed her that he would have a girl besides her. Even if it wasn't exactly a romantic relationship... she was his wife. And he hardly talked to her. Especially after the Nara boy stopped by. _"Actually... I'd be willing to bet that he isn't at the apartment. So he'll be at one of the training fields. What was the number he told me two days ago?... 17? 7?... Whatever, I'll just ask around."_

Tayuya managed to get directions to training field 7 from an old woman sweeping out her door step. So now she was going through the forest. An ANBU was ten feet from her, following her. _"Should have expected that."_

She turned to him, "Hey is it a left or a right up here?"

He gestured to the left. Tayuya sighed and turned left.

The clearing was large, with a small stream running through the center. Long green grass covered most of the area, making it seem quite tranquil. She glanced around. It was also quite empty. Not a blond hair in sight. Tayuya stretched out to try and get a sense of the area and... there...

She walked into the underbrush and almost tripped over Naruto.

"Hey Dumbass! What are you doing there!?"

He glanced up at her, seeming slightly annoyed, "Training."

"What do you mean training? You just sitting there!"

Naruto jerked his head around behind him and her eyes shifted. Her jaw dropped. Blond... hair... everywhere. At least two hundred clones covered the forest floor behind him like a blanket. All of them were sitting in a similar position. Cross-legged with their hands pressed together, palms flat. _"What the hell is he up to?"_

"What the fuck are you doing here jackass?"

He frowned, "Listen... I thought we agreed that you wouldn't call me names anymore."

She groaned, "Oh.. fine! Na-ru-to... I'll use your gad damned name, even if you don't deserve it."

Naruto sighed and his eyebrow twitched, "Could you go somewhere else? I really am training, so It'd help if you weren't distracting me."

A devious smile stretched her lips and she sat down in front of him, "Oh come on Naruto, why don't you tell me what you're working on. I AM your wife after all. You can trust me."

"Like I can trust you. That's funny."

She lost her smile, "Ok, stop right there. I need to tell you something. I am tired of being stuck in that stupid apartment alone with absolutely nothing to do."

Naruto said bluntly, "You got the ok to go about the village without me. Why do I have to keep you company now. As you put it three days ago when we had our little... argument, you could care less what kind of deal we had. You don't want anything to do with me."

She coughed, "That was just a little argument Naruto. Listen, I'm bored out of my mind."

He growled, "Why don't you go play your flute then?"

"You saw how well that went."

Naruto eye-ticked at her insistence. "Alright... I don't care if you watch, but could you keep quiet at least. I'm not good at sitting still. This is hard enough for me."

"But what are you doing?"

It was starting to annoy her too. His refusal to tell her just what he was doing. _"What kind of freaking illegal shit is he doing that he can't even trust me with it. It's not like anyone listens to what I said. Even if it wasn't allowed everyone would think I was lying to get him in trouble."_

He said quietly, "It is an exercise that I saw in Kiri. I'm trying to copy it, but I don't have any sensory abilities for the most part. So... I'm having to guess at what I'm doing."

"And that is." She made her voice seductive, thinking to put him off guard. As usual it didn't work.

He said, "Listen... you know the Chunin exams are coming up right?"

She nodded, "And I know you're still a Genin... so what? Are you entering the Exams this year?"

"Yes. And this is very important to me. I'm trying something that shouldn't be possible and I really don't want either of my Sensei trying to tell me it won't work."

Tayuya blinked in surprise, "What do you mean by... not possible. Is this why you skipped sleeping the last two days...?"

He growled, "Yes... now let me concentrate already!"

She went silent and watched him. After a few moments she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She scooted away from him as his lips twisted and his eyebrows drew down into a deep scowl. Tayuya saw the hair on _his_ arms standing now. It was a moment before she realized what he was doing. _"He's trying to use Lightning release! But he's a wind user and he wasn't born with Lightning... I think... And if he was born with it, then why is he saying it's supposed to be impossible?"_

Extremely curious she decided to watch him while he trained... or sat... Her mind raced, looking for some reasonable answer to what he was doing. Her hair had lain back down a while ago... so what was he up to now?

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto smiled inwardly as he finished his task. _"HELLL YEAH! SUCK THAT PERVY SAGE!"_

He briefly wondered if it was appropriate to think of his sensei in that way. _"I guess Tayuya is rubbing off on me."_ Naruto stood and his red haired companion did the same. She brushed herself off complaining, "Ok now I'm sore and still pretty damn curious. Are you going to explain what the heck you were doing for the last three hours?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope. Sorry Tayuya, but I can't tell you. But... Since you waited there SO patiently, I'll tell you what..."

"WHAT?!"

He snickered, "If you watch me in the Chunin exams then you'll see what I've been training for."

She groaned, "But that's a whole three weeks away! You're going to keep me in the dark the whole time?!"

Naruto nodded, "Yep, but it will be so worth it. When you see the look on Pervy Sage's face when I whip out my new jutsu... " He started to giggle to himself, "Oh it's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to blow the lid right off him and all his rules about jutsu. Whoever said you can't..."

He glanced at her before he got too far ahead of himself and revealed what he was up to. "Anyway... You'll see, I promise."

Tayuya huffed, "Asshole."

"Well, I deserved that... I think..."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tsunade grumbled to herself as Shizune passed back the letter from the Raikage. It told her that he was sending two of his best with a group of three Genin. They would act as the mentors for their team during the Exams.

Shizune asked, "Was it a good idea to invite them?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, It needed to be done. I can't work well within the political landscape as a new Kage. I've only had this job for a few years. Most of my fellow Kage have years of experience on me. The Raikage and Tsuchikage especially." She rubbed her temple, "I actually extended to Lord A himself, but apparently he decided not to come."

Her assistant mumbled, "Well the last Kage to come here did get killed..."

"Shut up..."

 **ooo**

 **oooooo**

 **ooo**

Kisame groaned loudly as the spectral figures of his fellow Akatsuki vanished, "Damn Itachi, Sasori sure knows how to spoil our fun. I was looking forward to fighting the Onetails. I've never fought a Jinchuriki who was also a Kage. Even if he was young..."

Itachi looked around the cave where the meeting had concluded. His breath steamed out in the frigid air. "It is nothing. We have a new task. The Jinchuriki of the Two and Eight tails are on the move. Sasori could say that much."

The tall pallid man stretched and turned his white bloodshot eyes on the Uchiha, "True, but I'm surprised Itachi. Why did you warn the Zombies off attacking Kumo?"

"Because, Kumo is the strongest village now. And their tactics won't work as well as ours in this situation. We are a better match against them now. Besides, you weren't interested in fighting that old man with the Fourtails."

Kisame clicked his tongue, "It's not that, I simply prefer more youthful opponents. Old men won't interest Samehada."

"Well... it doesn't matter. We need to get on the trail of the Eighttails and Twotails."

"Alright Itachi. Let's go."

 **So here we have finished up with this chapter. Now... I know you guys are probably wondering why I didn't write a scene for when Naruto and Tayuya finally talk about what the hell happened with his Alter Ego. For your information they (didn't) talk about it. It was one of those situations where you both know it happened but neither person can really breach the topic.**

 **And yes it will be covered later**

 **Now on to a few questions. After the Chunin Exams there will be room for some plot rearrangement. Mainly because I only just finished writing the scene for the second Exam. So the question is... Do you guys want me to go cannon with the Garra/Akatsuki arc, or make my own arc for when this is finished. And yes, Tayuya will be included either way.**

 **Onward my faithful readers! Onward to enlightenment...(or chapter three, which ever comes first)**

 **Remember to review!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Flame

**First things first… or fifth, never really like putting things in order ya know. ANYWAY… do I say anyway too much. –sigh-… doesn't really matter does it?**

 **Is seems that my dark Naruto has some lovers and some haters. Kinda figured that, but this is something I've want to explore in one of my stories for a long time.. Hope you guys enjoy how it turns out. After all, I'm not the most emotional of people.**

 **So as for that first business I decided to make Tenten a Genin still. I thought that her skills were really sub par when she took the exams the first time. And so I thought she would be a perfect "redo" character to go with Naruto.**

 **And no… I don't own Naruto (but if I did there would be a site where you could turn fanfictions into branch episodes!)**

 ** _Chapter 3!_**

Kakashi Hatake scratched his chin, wonderingly as he looked down at his student. "I don't know Naruto. Entering the Chunin Exams as a lone member sounds a bit reckless to me. Are you quite sure that Jiraiya gave the ok?"

Naruto nodded, "You bet. He told me I was ready for this. He is the Toad Sage ya know! He taught me a ton of stuff. I bet I could take you on any day."

The white haired Jonin eye-smiled. "I have no doubt you're eager to try, but you'll have to make Chunin before you challenge me."

"SO!? I get to enroll in Exams?!"

"No..."

Naruto was about to shout when Kakashi forestalled him, "Not Alone. You need to find at least one other Genin to watch your back. It's far too easy to get caught off guard during the Exams. I don't doubt that you are strong, but you don't have eyes in the back of your head."

The blond groaned, "But all the other rookies are Chunin or even Jonin! Who do I team with?"

Kakashi sighed, "I don't know Naruto... Isn't Tenten still a Genin? She could join you. She'll be in the same position as you. And... What about Konohamaru?"

Naruto's jaw dropped, "Little bro?! Konohamaru? Why him? He's just barely a Genin last time I checked!"

Kakashi smirked under his mask. _"Poor Naruto. Never could keep up with local news could you?"_ "No Naruto. Konohamaru is beyond the level of his team right now. I heard him boasting that he could do Rasengan too... I assume you taught it to him. And if he can use that jutsu, I'm sure he can compete in the Exams with you. Maybe not evenly, but still..."

There was a moment of silence as Naruto digested this, "Ok Sensei. I'll get them in on it. But... there was something else I really needed to ask you about."

"Sure, what did you need to know?"

Naruto scratched his head, "But you gotta swear that you won't tell anyone... Especially not Granny or Pervy Sage."

"Why so secretive?"

Naruto sighed, "I've been working on a new... um... jutsu. I didn't want them preventing me from training because they were worried about me getting hurt."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, "Ok Naruto... you've got me curious. I promise I won't tell a word."

"You sure?"

He nodded and lazily crossed himself, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Naruto raised his own eyebrow and asked, "Stick a needle in your eye?"

Kakashi shrugged, uncomfortable with the phrase, "I keep my promises. We both know that."

They paused for a moment as Naruto composed himself. Then he looked him right in the eye. "I've been training myself in sealing. Pervy Sage showed me the basics, but I need help on this one I've been working on."

"Wait... you made a new seal on your own?"

Naruto shook his head, "No... I altered one I saw in Kiri. But it just won't activate no matter how hard I try. I'm a bit scared to push a lot of chakra into it... so could you help out?"

Kakashi shrugged again, "I'll see what you've got, but I'm not sure how much I can help. I've used a few seals before. My sensei was a master at them, but I only learned a few of the more.. restrictive variety. Ones for containing energy... not for combat."

A groan came from Naruto, "But this one is supposed to be for fighting close up!" He hesitantly brought his hands to eye level and showed Kakashi his palms. The Jonin blinked his visible eye. Then he scratched his chin.

"Interesting..."

Excited Naruto asked, "Do you know what it's missing sensei!?"

Kakashi coughed lightly, "Um... no. Not a clue. I have absolutely no inkling what that even is for. Can't help you here. Jiraiya probably told you, but sealing changes drastically from person to person. Every sealing master in the history of the village has had their own unique style, only sharing their most basic techniques. You could go your whole life and never see the same seal twice."

Naruto groaned, "Well that's a drag."

"You're starting to sound like a Nara."

"And you're as useless as Jiraiya at a sauna sometimes."

Kakashi deadpanned, "That wasn't called for, but I suppose you're right... sometimes. Still, respect your teachers."

Naruto dropped his hands finally and turned away, "Ok sensei, I'll just have to work it out on my own. Just make sure you register me! I'll get Tenten and Konohamaru in on it!"

Kakashi watched him go. The door closed to his apartment and he sat up. _"Sorry Naruto... but I recognize that seal. I really can't have you mastering it... not that I could help you at all. That's a SS rank seal from the Third Mizukage. I have no idea where you saw it or how you memorized it... But I need to tell Tsunade about it."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya watched Naruto. He hadn't eaten all day and now he was positively moping. She raised her eyebrow as he twirled an odd looking Kunai on his fingertip. It was abnormally long and the blade was serrated. She figured that whatever jutsu he was practicing hadn't worked.

Normally she wouldn't bother with cheering him up, but Naruto was bad enough when he was happy. When he was sad or annoyed it was almost unbearable to be around. She moved over to him and poked him in the shoulder with her flute.

He glanced at her, "What ya need?"

She glowered, "Stop moping shithead."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "I'm not moping. I'm thinking."

Tayuya rolled her eyes back at him, "Well... oh great thinker. It isn't a good look for you. Make's you look fucking constipated or something."

"Thanks for the info." His tone was sarcastic as he answered. Tayuya felt the urge to start a new argument coming over her. He was just so... clam at times it made her want to smash his head in!

Naruto noticed her own... slightly aggrieved expression and said, "Now who's the one who looks constipated."

She growled, "I'm going to tear you a new one if you keep it up!"

Naruto froze and she thought satisfied, _"Wow... did that threat actually work? Damn, who know he was afraid of being spanked?"_

Tayuya gasped as he jumped out of bed and kissed her on the cheek. Then he was darting past her and out the door, "Thanks Tayuya-chan! I just figured out what I was doing wrong!"

She turned to slap the living shit out of him, but he was gone. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh no you don't. I'm gonna really tear it off for that."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Kaskahi found Tsunade sitting at her desk, reading a letter with wide eyes. He knocked at the door but she didn't answer.

"Um... yo..."

She glanced up at him, "Hatake... What do you want?!"

He scratched the back of his head in a very Naruto-like way. He realized this and stopped immediately, "Well, Naruto came to me earlier wanting help with a seal he was working on..."

Tsunade blinked, "And how is this important Kakashi? I have to arrange for the arrival of the Raikage! I don't have time for this. Spit it out."

Kakashi coughed, "Thing is the seal's were actually inked onto his palms. They were ones I recognize from the war."

She hesitated, "Go on..."

"They are a kind of Ninjutsu shortcut of shorts. The Mitsukage used it to great effect... As we both know he wasn't born with water affinity so he invented a seal that would allow him to use elements that he had little training or affinity for. As I recall he eventually used it to create a artificial Kekkei Genkei. Extremely dangerous to use for someone who doesn't know what he's doing."

Tsunade shook her head, "I don't know why you're bothering me with this Kakashi. Naruto has no training with sealing. Jiraiya never showed him the basics. He probably just saw it in Kiri and copied it, hoping to use it in the Exams... He already submitted his application to do it with Tenten and Konohamaru."

That amused Kakahsi, but something didn't fit. "But Naruto said that Jiraiya taught him basic sealing..."

Tsunade stood up, "What?! Jiraiya specifically told me that he had refrained from doing so. He wanted to focus on Naruto's affinity for wind and his control over the Kyuubi!"

They stood there for a moment.

Kakashi wasn't the first to speak. "Hatake... you don't think it's possible... do you?"

"That Naruto somehow taught himself sealing and didn't tell Jiraiya. Then he came to me for advise under the guise of improving Jiraiya's technique..." They both looked at each other in silence.

She nodded, "It's impossible right. No one teaches themselves that... not without some access to a teacher."

Kakashi asked, "Minato?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No he was an exception. He had a grasp of sealing that was beyond imagination. It's impossible for Naruto to copy that. Even Minato was shown his first seal by Jiraiya.

"Kushina?"

The Hokage grimaced, "You've got me there. I don't know... She was also a master of sealing... She was an Uzumaki after all, but for Naruto to pick it up without any instruction at all..."

The door opened to the office and Shizune ran into the room, "Lady Tsunade! I have a message from the Kazekage! He wants' to attend the Chunin exams!" She stopped to catch a breath before she continued. "The Tsuchikage accepted your invitation too!"

Tsunade looked completely speechless for a moment. The Kazekage, the Tsuchikage, and the Raikage... all in her village at the same time. _"I really should have reconsidered sending those invites... Damn this is going to be a mess."_

"Kakashi! I want you to get the ANBU watching Naruto too, not just the girl. And make sure It's someone who will be interested in the job. I don't want anyone who will shirk their duty to get even with the Kyuubi."

"Yes Hokage-sama."

She waived him off, "We'll talk later. This is more important at the moment."

He agreed with her on that much. _"I'll see if Yuago is interested in watching him. She was always fond of Kushina when she was younger..."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

 ** _"YES!"_**

Naruto restrained himself from shouting aloud. The forest clearing was deserted, but he could feel someone nearby... approaching.

He put it out of his mind. He'd done it. He'd so... done it. Now that he had the seal down flat it would be a walk in the park to master the jutsu he'd been working on. _"All that useless training, trying to tame the Kyuubi when I could have been working on my elemental release. And then all of that training with beating Genjutsu since he was so worried about Itachi coming after me again. Even though I totally whipped him with my chakra reserves he still wanted me to train to make them larger. I could have spent two years much more productively."_

Naruto looked at his palms. One each was a seal, thickly layered. Seven layers on each palm. And a eighth that covered both at the same time... That was why he had to do it with his palms together. _"Damn near blew my hands of a few times but hey! It worked!"_

He clenched his fist and took in a deep breath. He focused his chakra in front of him punched out. The clearing lit up for a moment. _"Well that was a letdown. I guess Fire release is still iffy. I just gotta train for the next three weeks... hehe. I'll blow everyone away."_

"NARUTO!"

He turned just in time to catch Tayuya's fist on his palm. She glared at him and swung her foot to catch him in the groin. He quickly brought his legs together trapping her foot before she could land the hefty blow to his manhood.

Tayuya was slightly unbalanced as she swung her other fist at him, "YOU KISSED ME!" Naruto blocked her strike and twisted his hips to the side. Suddenly she didn't have a leg to stand on and she fell back. Naruto fell atop her, pinning her to the ground. Tayuya squirmed and hissed, "Get off! I'll cut you open you retard!"

Naruto held her still, sending chakra to his arms and legs to strengthen them. He said, "Stop trying to hit me and I'll let you go."

"You kissed me you fucking imbecile!"

He raised his eyebrow at her, "And? It was thanks for triggering my memory. You didn't think I actually want to kiss you did you?"

She closed her mouth for a moment before answering. "You enjoyed it last time... pervert."

"Yeah... and we already fought over this. I don't remember doing it. I just remember it... happening. I already admitted I liked it, but I'm not trying to get neutered. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been excited. So... it's kinda your fault." he smirked and asked, "Can I let you go now, or do I just need to sit on you?"

She growled, "Let go of me already, pervert."

He jumped back, letting go of her hurriedly before she made another attempt at breaking the family jewels. Tayuya sat up. "Fine Fuckface. I'll forgive you if you tell me what the fuck kind of epiphany I triggered in your lame ass."

Naruto grinned, "I was working on a seal to let me use other elemental releases. See?" he showed her is palms and to her surprise there was a blue/black eye on each one. It seemed to be made up of several overlapping patterns.

Tayuya asked, "How is that even possible? Even the best shinobi need years to master a new elemental release. You couldn't get around that with a seal!"

He shook his head, "Nope, but with my... er... special training method, The years turn into months. And the months turn to weeks. And it's not long till the Chunin exams start. I'll work straight up until the day before the Exams start and then I'll sleep in late that day to recover my chakra reserves. I am a Jinchuriki so being rested isn't a problem for me."

Tayuya snapped, "You're getting off topic. You still kissed me retard."

He pointed out, "You already used that one."

"Wiseass."

Naruto laughed, "Honestly, It doesn't bother me that much anymore. I mean sometimes it's annoying, but your cursing feels like it's normal. But... good work on mixing it up. No one's ever called me that before."

She sneered, "Like I'm surprised. You're as dumb as you look."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I look very clever and that's much better than just being a know-it-all." He sniffed, "Anyway, You should get back to the apartment before the ANBU come out here and get you. I doubt they were watching you at this hour now that Tsunade gave you free reign."

Tayuya stood and turned to go back into the village. "Asshole."

Naruto watched her go with a long sigh, _"She's going to take a lot of time to adjust. I wonder if she'll ever give the personal insults a break?"_ It probably was too much to ask for her to stop cursing, but he could hope… right?

He turned his attention back to his training. _"First wind... then lightning... then water... then fire or earth. I want to be able to use a couple jutsu from each by the time I finish. And I'll take the last few days to work on more seals."_ -humph- _"Stupid Pervy Sage. Thinks that I can't figure stuff out on my own. Hell! I learned how to do Shadow Clones without any teaching. And I did it in a single night. I'll show him what I'm made of."_

Naruto focused and brought his hands together.

 **POOF!"**

 **ooo**

 **oooooo**

 **ooo**

 _-Two weeks later. Two days before the Chunin Exams-_

Lord A, the Raikage strode into the village hidden in the Leaves with Killer B by his side. Yugito was behind him with Darui and two squads of Genin. He'd decided to accept Tsunade's proposal in full. After all, he wanted to see how Konoha had fared after the war.

And from the simple yet imposing village gates, he figured that they had indeed fared well. His eyes took in the small retinue waiting for them. It consisted of a few Jonin from the village as well As Tsunade and her assistant.

A knew that the Kazekage had already arrived, but the Tsuchikage hadn't. _"All the better for me. I can make amends with the Hokage before that old man shows up and starts the next great war..."_

Shortly they arrived at the village gates. Tsunade gave a minimal bow as did A. Everyone else bowed deeply, with the notable exception of Kakashi and Darui, who eyed each other pensively. Tsunade was the first to speak and A noted that her voice was strong and carried weight that it hadn't possessed the last time they met.

"Lord Raikage, It is an honor to meet you once again. I welcome you to the Leaf village. I hope your time here will be eventful... in a good way."

"As do I. Now! I believe that it is time I see how your great village looks on the inside. Shall we go in?"

She nodded, "Yes, follow me Lord A."

He motioned to those behind him, giving B a stern look before he fastened his eyes to the great gates. He heard a bar being drawn on the other side and then... they swung inward. The anticipation from his subordinates was palpable as they came to a halt with a dull boom. Tsunade gestured for them to enter. They walked inside the gates, looking around at the Village hidden in the Leaves.

A nodded in approval, "It looks as though you gave recovered well from the war. Almost as well as ourselves."

Tsunade agreed, "We have been blessed with an especially skilled generation of shinobi this time. It's been better that we weren't forced to divert attention to training incompetent shinobi. One group in particular has excelled."

Darui commented from A's right side, "I heard they call them the rookie twelve."

She smiled, "Yes, they were all genin and all passed to the third stage of the Chunin exams on their first try. Some of them are Jonin now."

A saw how she took pride in her village and he understood the feeling. Though he couldn't say this year had been best for new talent. He opened his mouth to speak. Then he heard it. A high pitched whistling sound. Then a moment later it was followed by a shout.

"RUN AKAMARU!"

"KKKIIIIIBBBBAAAAA!"

Tsunade let out an audible groan as two figures dashed from the street to their right. It was a tall boy with dark brown hair and a huge white dog by his side. They were obviously fleeing from someone.

"Akamaru! Go faster! Oh shit, I really crossed the line this time! Hokage-sama! Help! Naruto's gonna kill me!"

She saw Kiba Inuzuka dashing as a head long pace towards her now. The she heard the attacker again.

"I'm not going to kill you Dog Breath! I going to SKIN YOU ALIVE! Do you know how much chakra I put in THAT FUCKING SEAL!"

Tsunade blinked as Naruto came barreling at a pace hard to imagine. He seemed to be blurring out, his outline becoming indistinct.

"RASENGAN!"

"OH SHIT!"

 **BOOOOM!**

Naruto slammed into the ground where Kiba had been a second before. There was a nine foot crater in the road where his hand was. "KIBA! Get your mangy ass over here! Don't make me use my new jutsu on you! I'm saving it for the exams!"

"No way Naruto! I ain't committing suicide!"

The Inuzuka ran to cower behind Tsunade, "Hey, could you handle Naruto like you usually do. You know, calm him down?"

Tsunade turned on the boy, "Don't you see who I'm escorting here?! Get lost! Solve your problems with Naruto or you'll have worse things to worry about!" _"Looks like Tsume might need to appoint a new successor..."_

Naruto cracked his knuckles ominously, "Come here _Pup,_ the _Fox_ wants to play tag!"

Kiba stepped away from Tsunade, "Yeah, ok... I'll just go.. then..." He made a break for a side street, but Naruto grabbed something from his pouch and threw it at Kiba.

They watched as the boy turned just in time to catch the flying kunai. Then... WHAM! Naruto disappeared from where he had been standing and reappeared with his fist in Kiba's gut. The blow sent the Inuzuka flying, Naruto in hot pursuit.

A blinked once... then twice. He looked to Tsunade with growing apprehension. "Tsunade Senju... Who was THAT!?"

She glanced back at him, having gone quite pale herself. "That... was Naruto Uzumaki. He's a genin here... He'll be taking the Chunin exams this year."

A stepped forward and looked her in the eye. "You know what I'm asking. What was that jutsu. It looked like..."

Tsunade quickly shook her head, "Even if it is, don't speak of it here. Not even in jest. Naruto's jutsu are not widely known. We hardly know everything he is capable of after training in secret for two years. If we must then we will speak on it at the tower. For now let me show you the wonders of the Leaf."

He nodded, but could feel the hesitation that suddenly filled his bones. _"It couldn't possibly be... No. I refuse to believe that was Hirashin"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto hauled Kiba up and threw him, sending clear over the wall of the Inuzuka compound. Hana looked at him surprised. Her eyebrow was raised in question, "So uh... what did the moron do this time?"

Naruto growled, "He interrupted me when I was doing something _very_ important. And worst of all he was trying to prank me. Did everyone forget who I was?! I'm the prankster King of Konoha! Not someone you mess with!"

She just smirked at that, "Well, thanks for leaving him in one piece Naruto. I'm glad you still have restraint. He shrugged, letting his smile slip though.

"Actually it was a great stress reliever. I kinda needed that. Tayuya's been in a weird mood and it makes everything tense."

She burst out laughing, "Yeah?! See ya around then Naruto. I hope you master the Chunin exams this time! You damn well know who I've got my money on." She winked at him, "And give that foul mouthed redhead a big hug from me!"

He grinned then, "You got it Hana-chan. She you when I win the Exams!"

Naruto sprinted through the village, back to his apartment where he was working on seals. It had required a huge amount of chakra to prepare his plan. It was simple. He wanted to completely dominate the Exams. And to do that he decided that three things were essential. First, he needed to study up on his opponents this time. To that end he'd sent out over thirty clones to gather info on all the Genin arriving in the village.

Second he had to master at least one new element. _"Heehehhhe. Oh I am so going to win that category. If they don't make me a chunin for what I managed to do in a few weeks then nothing will get me promoted. I can't wait to see all their faces when I go and use an element they didn't even know existed!_

Third was a more personal goal. He wanted to master three of the Fourth's jutsu. He had mastered Rasengan... But the other two were a bit problematic. For the second most famous Hokage he had very little info drifting around on him. But his persistence and studious ignorance when it came to rules allowed him to find out two more that were damn special. First was the Hirashin. The Yellow flash's signature jutsu. And the third didn't seem to have an official name.

So he decided that as soon as he could do it, he'd name it himself. Simply, the jutsu allowed the user to temporarily make one's chakra much denser. And if the description was anything to go by... it meant that this technique could be used to bring out the bloodline limit of any individual. But that was only through greatly extended use. Normally it would just be used to increase the power of his Ninjutsu by a couple times.

He accomplished the first task... and the second as well. And the third... well, he wasn't busy marking a ton of kunai and shuriken for nothing. _"It's eating me that there's such a big break between the forest of death and the final test. I wish they'd change it up. Besides... I don't know what to do about the technical exam..._

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks as he felt a chill run up his spine. All too familiar. The sensation of someone staring at him with killing intent. _"Some lowlife is drilling holes in my back alright. But who the hell is it?"_

His mind's eye tracked to where the... person was. He smirked, _"Time to show off a bit. Maybe this is some lame ass Genin from Iwa or something who hates Konoha. Doesn't matter. This'll fix em."_

Naruto whirled and threw his newly crafted kunai. It imbedded itself in the wall of a building a couple alleys back. He heard a yelp of surprise and caught sight of someone darting into the shadows. Naruto smirked and flashed to his kunai. He pulled it out and looked down the alley. His eyes picked out the figure. He or she was still darting down the passage. _"Not so fast!"_

Naruto judged the shot and threw.

His feet planted into a small back as he grabbed his kunai, a fraction of a second before it imbedded itself in the boy's back. Naruto realized it was a boy as he dropped him to the ground with his full weight on top. Rather pleased with his work, Naruto asked, "Like my new jutsu kid?"

The boy struggled to move until Naruto jumped away from him, landing silently. Now he was sure this was one of the Genin from Iwa. The uniform almost shouted "stoner" as they were sometimes called. Naruto saw him stand and wipe the dirt from the front of his jacket. He didn't feel sorry for dropping him like that. The kid got what was coming to him... Trying to spy on him... the nerve!

Naruto wiggled his eyebrows, "Hey? Are you deaf or mute?"

"Neither Konoha scum!"

Naruto chuckled, "That's funny, a short guy like you who just ate dirt is calling me that? You Iwa nin really don't have a sense of self preservation do you?"

He spat, "You are a stain on this earth, dumb pig!"

That caused Naruto to burst out laughing, "You really are weird. You'd think that I just made it clear who was stronger. And you keep trying to insult me... wow... Then again, not exactly the worst names I've been called recently. He thought of all the things Tayuya called him on a daily basis. They made this Genin's insults seem almost sweet in comparison.

Naruto felt his neck tingle just before he had the good sense to duck. A wooden pole swished over his head as he did so. Naruto's body moved on its own, twisting around to deliver a three fingered jab to his attacker's solar plexus. He looked up to see another Iwa headband, _"Ok so what are the chances that they're both total pushovers?"_

He stepped back to let the young woman recover. She grimaced and cursed, "Bastard!"

Naruto found himself in a fairly good mood now so he stopped to consider this from a literal perspective, "Well, since I don't know if my parents were married when they had me…, that's entirely possible. But ya know. Kinda rude to point it out."

He chuckled as she stood straight and stepped forward to fight. _"Here we go. ROUND TWO!"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

The window was open to Tsunade's office as Naruto leapt up to the ledge to perch there with his two burdens. He had officially lost his good mood but he wasn't _completely_ livid anymore. He'd had time to settle down on the way there. But he had to give it to the two Iwa nin. They knew how to rub him the wrong way. It hadn't gone well for them after they'd pissed him off. He didn't mess around fighting after his training trip. Clean and quick.

So now he had them, one under his left arm. The other was over his right shoulder. Both were tied with ninja wire, though he'd _somehow_ managed to prevent himself from gagging them.

Naruto looked inside the office. Tsunade was there, behind her desk, like she usually was. Shizune was off to the side, and there were a few ANBU in the corners of the room. However, across from her floated... or levitated an ancient looking man with what looked like the Tsuchikage's symbol on his hat.

He took in the appearance of his company as they all turned to look at him in unison. A slim girl to his left with pink eyes and a very mischievous smirk. Naruto immediately labeled her as stiff competition, but didn't find her repulsive. Anyone with a penchant for pranks couldn't be too bad. Then there was the extremely fat young man to his right. Along with that seemed to be a couple Jonin team leaders and a handful of Genin.

Naruto's gaze returned to the old man.

 **ooo**

Onoki found himself staring into familiar and hated eyes. Blue as a flawless star sapphire. Blond hair the color of spun gold. Tanned skin and a tall athletic build. Those eyes were... livid. Not simply angry, but furious.

The blond spoke and his voice... damnably similar to his hated enemy, "Hey Granny, Got two deliveries here for the Tsuchikage." He tossed the two genin to the floor where they groaned. The girl managed to sit up and hiss, "Shove it! Uzumaki brat!"

Onoki's eyes widened as the blond's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Then everyone in the room felt it. Killing intent so thick that it was as if... the gravity in the room had increased tenfold. He felt the overwhelming feeling of someone grasping at his old heart with burning talons.

He growled low in his throat.

"Insult _me_. Knock yourself out."

"Insult _my village_. Have a nice day."

"Insult _my family_ , go right ahead since I don't have one to insult."

"But... if you insult the **_Fourth Hokage_** again I'll show you what it feels like to have his favorite jutsu shoved up your tight ass!"

He raised his hand and the air in the room rushed to flow around his palm. Thick tendrils of indigo light materialized from the center of his hand. His chakra condensed till it formed a swirling violent vortex of wind and energy. It was the size of the Genin's head. She paled as white as parchment. Naruto grinned as the ball spun faster and faster till it gave off a high pitched keening wail.

"You know what this is? It's called Rasengan dumbass." He sneered, "So tell me what you said earlier. I dare you... no I double dare you... No? I didn't think so."

Onoki watched as the pulsing blue sphere shrank and dispersed. The young man turned his gaze him. The eyes were cold. "Hey old man, you should give your Genin some advice from me. Unless they want to fight me they better get themselves knocked out early. I'm going to the final Test and they might not like fighting me when I'm allowed to go all out."

Onoki glanced at Tsunade who had suddenly turned as pale as the Genin on the floor. He asked, "Who is this Tsunade?"

She was cut off as the blond answered, "My name... old man... is Naruto Uzumaki, thank you very much. And no I don't care about your rank. I judge people by their actions, not some title. You might have their respect..."

He pointed at the two Genin, "...But you'll have to earn mine."

Tsunade regained her composure and stood, "Naruto! hold your tongue. He is a Kage and demands respect from all!"

Naruto reached behind him and pulled out an oddly shaped kunai, "Yeah... we'll see. I need to get back to working on my new jutsu. He flashed a predatory grin and threw his kunai out behind him. His eyes settled on the slim girl by Onoki as he vanished soundlessly.

The two Genin struggled to rise as Onoki let out a long breath. That gaze had been suffocating. Utterly terrifying. It wasn't the gaze of his old enemy, Minato Namekaze. That had been the feral stare of a demon. Something that could rip him apart or swallow him whole. _"Kami... If I live another hundred years, I could do without seeing that again."_

He swiveled in the air and addressed Tsunade, "Hokage? I would like an explanation immediately. Is that or is that not the son of Minato Namekaze?"

Tsunade's eyes hardened, "And what if he is? Are you going to demand he answer for your defeat at his father's hands? He doesn't even know who his parents are. He barely knows his mother's identity. Only enough to carry on the Uzumaki clan."

She dropped back down into her chair. "As the Tsuchikage I don't expect you to hold any sympathy for my people, but... he is wounded inside and there is nothing I can do about it. Do me a favor for once. Instead of going over old wrongs, try to understand that others suffered as much as you did."

Onoki closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his losses in the war with Konoha. _"If I'm honest with myself... I'm part of the reason the boy has no family. I was the one who put the death order on the Namekaze clan. But it still burns me that he is here. I would want nothing more than to assassinate him, though there is no chance of getting away with it."_

He nodded, "I understand that Tsunade. However... why have you kept it a secret? It makes no sense to me."

Tsunade sighed, "It was the decision of the Third that Naruto be isolated for the express purpose of keeping him away from the enemies of the Namekaze and his parents." She motioned to his subordinates, "In essence, all of you. Could I be any more blunt?"

"I suppose not... Now I sense there is something better for us to speak of right now."

She grimaced, "Very true. Down to business then?"

"Indeed."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto landed without a sound on the floor in his apartment. He deactivated the jutsu that made his chakra denser as he stood up. His anger faded slowly, leaving him cold and empty. Those Iwa nin hated the Yellow flash, but he couldn't imagine that anyone could disagree with what he stood for. The fourth Hokage had always preached peace... Hadn't he? Naruto hoped... hoped desperately that his picture of the Fourth was an actual picture... and not some illusion that a little boy made up.

Jiraiya and Kakashi, and even Tsunade had told him that Minato Namekaze had been a great man... but they had also been his friends and allies. Had they been blind to any bad side?

He wondered if the Fourth would have liked him. _"I don't know. He must have known my parents or he couldn't have sealed the Kyuubi in me at birth. Or... maybe... oh Kami, Maybe he despised my family and did it as an insult to them. I couldn't live with that..._

"Hey Mr. Thinker. Are you just going to stand there looking like a retarded mule or are you going to start breathing?"

Naruto halted his thinking to glance over at Tayuya. She was writing something. A note pad was in her hand and a long pencil in the other. He examined her from head to toe. She was looking better. Not having the deep circles under her eyes helped immensely. And her complexion had paled somewhat from all the time indoors, giving her skin a tone slightly darker than Hinata's.

Her red hair was in her face as always, making him wonder how she could stand it. _"Doesn't it bug the shit out of her constantly? It probably blocks a fifth of her vision... right down the middle."_ Besides that her eyes were clear and piercing and her red eyebrows... made their perpetual V while she waited for his answer.

"I was just wondering about the Fourth Hokage, ya know."

One eyebrow raised, "So? Why should I give a shit. He's dead right? And you want his position. You should worry about yourself. Besides you already have his two most infamous jutsu and another one I've never even heard of. What more do you need for fucking Genin?"

Naruto snorted, "You're technically not even a genin, but I seem to remember you defeating a few high Chunin to Jonin level Shinobi so I hardly think the Exams are going to be a piece of cake."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever shithead. Go find someone else to bother."

He smirked, "What if you're the one I want to bother? What do ya think about that?"

Tayuya flipped him off and didn't speak. Naruto smiled and launched himself at her. She saw him coming ad barely manage to avoid skewering him with her pencil, her common sense saving her at the last second. She cursed several times as he landed next to her on the bed.

"So... What ya workin on?"

She growled, "I hate you. How can you be so fucking bipolar?! One second your serious as fuck and then you turn into some laugh happy idiot!"

"That wasn't nice Tayuya? Now... show me what you're doing!"

"NO!"

"Why not?"

She smacked him upside the head with the notebook and jabbed him in the ribs with the pencil for good measure. he winced at the pencil, but refused to move. Tayuya groaned and said, "They're music sheets alright! Now get off my bed!"

He didn't move. Her scent was teasing at him. He might have been tempted to push his face into the crook of her neck, but he wasn't quite ready to kick the bucket. And he had no clue how she would react. Instead he rolled over so he could look at her.

She glared back, "I said, Get off my bed."

Naruto grinned, "I don't want to right now, besides I've already said that it's my bed too. Seeing how we ar..."

"DON'T rub it in my face Asshole. You're just the lesser of two fucking evils."

He sighed, "You do realize that if you never give me any slack I can't give you any. If everyone knows you're acting like a hostile nin with me, you'll never get any privileges. Tsunade trusts me but that only goes so far ya know."

Tayuya sneered, "What makes you think I want any stupid rights in this place. I still think of you like enemies. Why pretend otherwise? Better to just act like a prisoner. That's what I am."

He sat up and snatched her notebook from her hand. Tayuya shouted, "HEY! Give it back!"

"Oh really. I thought you didn't want any rights? I thought I made it clear to you weeks ago that you need to start working on that stubborn pride of yours. How would you feel if I treated you like you apparently want to be treated? Do you really want me to act like an Asshole?!

"NO I DON'T! Give it back already!"

Naruto held it out of her reach, "Then stop being a bitch."

Tayuya halted. "What did you just call me?" Her tone was deadly serious. Naruto ignored it.

"What? You like to call me even worse. I guess you can dish it out, but doesn't look like you can take it."

Her hand crossed his face with a harsh slapping sound. "Don't you DARE call me that fucker!"

Naruto's eyes hardened, "Really?" He smacked her across the side of the head, hard enough to cause her to cry out.

"OW!"

He threw the notebook on the bed and used one hand to force her back onto it. Her eyes met his angrily. Naruto caught her gaze with his own. His cheeks were reddening, both from the slap and from the proximity to her. Tayuya's scent was strong and... tempting. The position they were in did not escape him as she struggled to sit up.

Naruto growled, "Stay down."

"HELL NO!"

He pushed forward, ramming his forehead against hers. "I _said_ stay _DOWN_ _ **!**_ " A bit of killing intent radiated out, causing her to go completely still. Naruto said, "We never had a serious talk about it, but I've already lost control once with you. I don't even remember doing it, but I don't think either of us want it to happen again."

Fear stole into her eyes, setting of an ache in his chest. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, but this was necessary. "I'm going to be honest. I haven't been feeling like myself lately. All the training I've been doing... it's almost like it's messing with my head. I get excited... or pissed on the drop of a hat. I can't control my impulses like I usually do... and you keep ticking me off!" He growled and pulled back slightly. "I..."

Naruto paused. He didn't know what he was about to say. It was there and then gone. Tayuya saw the look of confusion cross his face before it sharpened to anger. His eyes flashed red as he tried to slow his breathing.

"I... want to be your friend... Tayuya. Could you... try to be mine..?"

She looked to the side.

He watched her as the gears of her mind turned quickly. His own expression softened as she let out a long pained breath. She said quietly, "I don't know how to be friends with someone."

Naruto smiled, "I can show you."

Her eyes turned to him, questioning, "Can you even teach that?"

"I'll do my best... and that's a promise."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya woke the next day to find herself curled up on her bed. She was a bit sore, but that was to be expected. After her... talk.. with Naruto he had taken her to one of the many training fields around the village. He'd told her that training was one way that Shinobi strengthened their friendship.

She almost regretted sparring with him though. He was a freaking beast. They were at it for three hours and he didn't even break a sweat. An hour later she was drenched in it. And he wasn't even breathing hard. It was unreal how long he could go. _"And he had three fucking battalions of clones doing the same thing around us. Does he not understand the concept of overdoing it?"_

Tayuya's nose picked up a tantalizing scent. Her body moved on its own, forcing her to a sitting position. She looked around, searching for the source of the smell. It was food so her eyes automatically moved to the kitchen nook. There was Naruto, making something that certainly wasn't ramen.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized what it was... _"Bacon? I've never even seen pork in this apartment. Where'd the dumbass get bacon from and why? He's a ramen nut."_

Naruto evidently heard her sit up because he said, "I figured that you'd want something more substantial than ramen after training hard for the first time in a while." He glanced over his shoulder at her. His cheeks were pink.

Tayuya realized this immediately, but didn't understand why. Then she looked down. _"Thi... this isn't my bed... WHAT THE FUCK?!"_

"Naruto?! Why the fuck am I in your bed?!" Then she remembered. _"Oh... now I feel stupid."_

Naruto scratched his chin uneasily, "Yeah... sorry about that. When you knocked off for the day yesterday you came and got in my bed by accident... I didn't stop training until Eleven. I was exhausted and wasn't really paying attention... Kinda scared the shit out of me when I woke up right next to you."

She somehow managed to keep from glaring at him. He wasn't responsible... this time. "Why the bacon? You never eat anything besides ramen."

He shrugged, "Already told you that Tayuya."

 _"Oh... shit. Now I really feel stupid."_

"Idiot."

He sighed, "Again with the names? Can't you call me Naruto. It's not that hard to remember ya know."

She frowned, "I prefer to call you idiot. It suits you better."

Naruto rolled his eyes at her, "Ok, well if that's how it's going to work, I'll start calling you Tayuya-chan. I think it suits you." He grinned, "Well Tayuya-chan... what do ya think?"

Her eye twitched... then her fist. "Fine... Naruto." Her thinly veiled anger made him chuckle. _"She is cute... I wish I could tell her that seriously. But she'd probably go ballistic. And I don't need the whole village seeing me chased around by some tiny redhead."_

An image flashed into his head. It was Shizune telling him about his mom. Something about a nickname and all the boys lusting after her, but at the same time being too terrified to go near her. Naruto sighed wondering who his father had been. _"_ _He must have been someone powerful or he wouldn't have been able to keep my mom pinned down, at least that's what I get from talking to people who knew her…"_

He casually twisted around and moved to her, bending down to put breakfast on her lap. She looked down at the food, then back at him. Her question was clear, _"Why?"_

Taking a page out of Choji's book hadn't been a bad idea, but he was unsure if she'd be pissed at his reasoning. He said, "It's something friends do. I told you that I wanted to be friends right?"

She nodded mutely. Her fingers reached out for a piece of bacon. Naruto watched as she snatched it off the plate and bit down with a crunch. Despite herself she smiled at the taste. She quickly finished the bacon off as he stood back.

Naruto walked back to the counter and cleaned up the mess. He'd already been up for three hours. Eaten, showered, and trained. Then he came back and made something for her to eat. _"Maybe I worked her a bit too hard yesterday. I mean, it's not like she's had the chance to train in a really long time. Two years of not being able to walk properly and then being stuck here. She'll have to adjust to it."_

He smiled to himself a bit as he heard her scrapping the plate clean behind him, _"Guess she liked it."_

 **Yay! The new chapter! And more action, the suspense is building. How will Naruto surprise the village, shock it? AND ROCK THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THIS AREA! –ahem- (yes that was a quote)**

 **Now… for the pairing reveal… Karin will be with Naruto! (just not romantically)**

 **Hm… I wonder how many people read that last sentence and rage quit without finishing?**

 **Anyway.. I hoped you all liked this chapter! And I'm slowly trying to show the changes in Naruto's personality. Hope you are all catching the hints!**

 **Please remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Burn

**Yay! I'm back with chapter 4 of Sealing Twilight! This is one of my favorite chapters so far so I pray that everyone will like it! Or love it, really depends on how fanatical you are about Naruto/Tayuya pairings.**

 **Now I do have a "few" questions I'd like to ask my fans before we get started. First of them being this… Since I've already made the decision that this will be more of a war fic, (emphasizing the adventure more than the romance although there will be plenty of that) I want to know if you readers want them to be going to war as a couple… or… have them solidify the relationship after.**

 **FYI, the "war" is not what you think it is and will come into play roughly…..six or seven chapters from now by my plot line.**

 **Second question…what summoning animal should Tayuya get. I want to work on a Summoning Contract arc for her.**

 **Now without further p*** a** b****** THE CHAPTER AWAITS!**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto) If I did Naruto would know tons of freaking Fuinjutsu by Shippuden**

 ** _Chapter 4_**

Kurotsuchi paced the large apartment provided for the Tsuchikage and his retainers. It was spacious, but seemed cramped to her. _"That bastard is only a few buildings away. And he's the son of that... that man. He killed so many... so many of our family. And not just mine, but every Iwa nin has at least one relative lost to the Yellow flash of the Leaf. And his SON is a stone's throw away. I could fucking KILL him. But no. Gramps told me to leave him alone. Attacking him would start off a war guaranteed._

She growled to herself as she forced herself to stop pacing. "That's it. I'm going to get another look at him. See if he's all he's cracked up to be. If' he isn't I might just teach the bastard a lesson."

The door to the apartment slammed closed

 **ooo**

Kurotsuchi didn't find him at his home. The place was empty... but she saw... two beds. One was made and the other one wasn't. Her eyes had narrowed at that.

Then she was off, looking for him elsewhere. The stares of the villagers were annoying as she searched. It rankled her that they thought they had any right to judge her. SHE! The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage. A Jonin level Shinobi!

It was almost a half an hour before she found him. And...he wasn't alone as she'd hoped. There was a girl with him. She was diminutive in size, but not completely petite. She had long dark red hair, almost the color of blood. Her pale skin glistened with sweat as she darted back and forth, trying to land a blow on the tall blond.

He'd removed his jacket to show his tanned muscle. However he looked completely dry. Kurotsuchi was forced to admire his figure for a moment. Broad shoulders and neat hips. He even had a six pack. Her mind shifted to evaluating his fighting style.

It seemed to have little or no "style" at all. It was a random series of "whatever the hell did the trick". As she brought her kunai up to pierce his chest he ducked forward, twisting his torso to the side. Her attack sailed past as he disarmed her in a flash. Kurotsuchi blinked when she realized she hadn't seen him do it. Suddenly it was just done.

Naruto's legs swept both of hers out from under her as he spun. The red head fell back and landed... in his arms.

She scowled and said something that Kurotsuchi couldn't catch. Naruto quickly put her on her feet, shrugging easily. Kurotsuchi decided to settle down and examine him. This information might be invaluable to the Iwa Genin if they ever had to face him in combat. She smirked as she saw him dodge an angry swipe from the girl. They apparently didn't get along.

Either that or they got along too well. She didn't know for sure, but there had been two beds in his apartment. She might just be his girlfriend.. or something in that area.

Kurotsuchi focused her chakra in her ears to improve her hearing as they started again.

 **ooo**

Naruto blocked Tayuya's strike's, never letting her get too much momentum in her attacks before he made a move of his own. His style was proving very effective against hers. Probably because he made a point of having no style at all. He liked to compare it to Lee's drunken fist. As unpredictable as possible.

But as it was now she was doing fairly well against him. He winced as the heel of her palm cracked into his side, right where his kidney was. It wasn't a strong blow, but well placed. _"Not that she could ever hurt me bad enough that Kyuubi couldn't heal it."_ The fox allowed him to heal at roughly five times the normal rate. And with his new jutsu making his chakra denser, he could _almost_ double that. Plus he was already an Uzumaki….so that was just over kill.

He smirked as he heard a low grumbling from the back of his mind. Tayuya saw the smirk and doubled her speed, enhancing her attacks with her chakra. Three strikes landed before he reset his speed to the appropriate level. Her face set as she realized how much he was holding back.

In reality it was... a lot. He'd asked Lee for advice on chakra weights. The lesser green beast of the Leaf had been happy to give him his old set of leg and belt weights. Naruto of course wasn't into those. First of all they weren't heavy enough for his purposes. And second he wanted to put the seals on his skin as opposed to on his own weights. He smiled at that thought.

Currently he had twelve weight seals on him. And... they were _adjustable_. With just a little bit of chakra he could make them weightless... or as heavy as one of the great stone faces. _"Can't wait to fight someone with them. Throw a punch as fast as I can, then at the last second increase the weight of the seal on the back of my hand to a half ton. WHAM! I'll knock my opponent clear out of the arena!"_

Tayuya had noticed his lax expression and tried to press the advantage... only to find him automatically going faster to accommodate her. Every time she sent more chakra to her limbs he would move quicker, always keeping just ahead of her. It was infuriating.

She flung her strikes with reckless abandon, throwing defense out the window in an attempt to catch him off guard.

Naruto came back to himself in time to dodge a blow that might have knocked his head off his shoulders. He blurred around her rapid fire barrage of attacks. His eyes focused on her red hair, soaked through with sweat. His sense of smell was picking up her natural aroma as she pummeled him. It was intoxicating…the scent of battle…but then again…

Five minutes later he dropped all the weight from his leg seals and disappeared behind her. Before she realized it he'd grabbed her arms and bound them together. She gasped as she was drawn backward. Tayuya landed on her butt in the grass.

"Ow...!"

She looked up at him as he materialized in sight again. He grinned down at her. "Sorry Tayuya-chan. I'm just too fast for you to stand a chance."

She ignored that in favor of flipping to her feet. He stood there, extending a hand to catch her by the collar when she almost fell. Tayuya growled, "How the hell are you so fast!? It shouldn't be possible! You're faster than Kabuto or Kimimaro. And not to mention the fact you trained for like nine hours straight yesterday!"

Naruto flashed behind her and severed the ties around her wrists. Then he was back in front of her so fast that she didn't see him move.

Her eyes went wide as he held out his kunai to her. "Now that's a trade secret, but I give you a hint. It's got something to do with weights."

"But you're not wearing any!... At least not that I see. Where the hell are they? Shoved up your ass or did you eat them?!"

He burst out laughing and turned around. "Ne.. neither. You just can't see them. Now... Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A huge plume of smoke enveloped the entire field. It was blown away a moment later. Tayuya kept her shock under control well. She'd seen this before after all and it wouldn't do to be seen slackjawed by her blond companion.

At least four hundred clones filled the clearing. They automatically divided into groups of twenty. Naruto sent one clone over to her while he went to a larger group of early fifty. Tayuya eyed the clone. "What are we doing now?"

"How about we do some ninjutsu since you look kinda beat."

She grimaced and settled into a defensive stance. Wind spooled around the clone like white threads. She'd seen these too. An ability of Naruto's that was some offshoot of Rasengan. Basically he was drawing in small currents of wind around him with his affinity for that kind of energy. Then he was pouring his chakra into the air around him, concentrated on the errant wisps. The results were tiny whips that could cut though flesh like it wasn't even there. Naruto couldn't control them very well but they were still extremely dangerous, mainly because if a gust blew past her he could amplify it and take her leg off... or something worse.

The disadvantage to the jutsu was that it only worked out to ten feet or so. The fact that it was an extremely draining in terms of chakra didn't really apply to him. Tayuya glanced across to see Naruto begin his brutal training a few hundred feet from her. _"Thank Kami he didn't rig up a smaller version of that for me... It's torture."_

"Well Tayuya? We going to spar?"

She growled, "Quiet piss for brains. I'll squash you."

 **ooo**

Naruto thrashed through the mass of clones, dodging ever single attack he could as his copied did everything in their power to hit him. His weight seals were all activated to half maximum capacity. Which all totaled... was almost twenty thousand pounds. _"That's about all I can do without injuring myself. Even now.. if I get distracted, the strain of all the weight would dislocated something pretty bad. It's a good thing it's super easy to drop the weight off."_ In actuality it would kill him if he just dropped all his chakra that circulating through his body. The strain on his limbs would literally rip him apart. However he had enough chakra to make his joints, muscles, bones, and tendons outrageously durable.

He glanced out of the cornet of his eye, at the clones that were practicing on new elemental releases. _"I'm going right down to the wire on that third one. If I don't get it by the end of the day, I won't be able to use it for the first two tests."_

Naruto dodged a mini Rasengan and lashed out to smack the clone out of existence. He took the time to send instructions to the rest of his clones by making one to replace it. Those who had been working to manipulate wind chakra switched to Rasengan training. Each of them formed a Rasengan and increased its size to the absolute maximum they could manage. Then they held it for five minutes and repeated the process.

He felt like it was a bit pointless to have them working on that. With the amount of chakra each clone had, the maximum size of the Rasengan was only a foot and half across. If he maxed it out by himself he could probably turn the whole training area into a smoking crater. Then again…. If he used Kurama's chakra he could take out a significant chunk of the village. _"_ _I might just have to go easy on my opponents.. even in the Third test."_

A few minutes Naruto felt a slight shiver run up his spine and he dispersed all the clones around him in a blast of white smoke.

 ** _"Boy... we need to have a talk."_**

 _"Wow... long time no chat."_

 ** _"Can you come inside for a few minutes. This is important."_**

 _"Sure Kyuubi. Give me a sec."_

Naruto glanced around to see all of his remaining clones training, along with the one that trained with Tayuya. He smiled as she decapitated the clone with his long kunai. _"_ _Not exactly Ninjutsu, but the fact that she managed to get my clone at all is a sign of progress."_ He moved over into the shade and sat down. Naruto closed his eyes quickly and let himself fall inward.

 **ooo**

Kurama waited for his container to make his appearance. It wasn't long in coming. The spiky blond hair of his vessel seeming to glow in the strange light. Naruto's blue eyes gazed up at him through the cage bars.

"Long time no see."

He growled, **"True enough boy. But there is something I need to ask you."**

"And that it?"

 **"Simply this... Are you aware of the alternate personality that lies dormant inside you?"**

Naruto blinked in surprise, "Dormant? What do you mean by that?"

 **"As in it doesn't appear except at certain times when you are emotionally stressed... or when certain triggers are activated. Such as when you lost your temper with the girl a few weeks ago."**

"Wait! Is that why you didn't talk to me for so long?! I didn't even feel you for like a week after!"

Kurama nodded his great head and bowed down to bring his gaze closer to Naruto's. It disturbed him that Naruto was completely unaware of it. He growled. **"I first sensed it almost two years ago. It came out infrequently. Here and there. Never more than a few seconds. Almost always when you decided to give up on something... or sometimes when you were enraged."**

"And it happened a few weeks ago? What happened?!"

 **-sigh- "Your other self is... different. He has little interest in being friendly and has a much more pessimistic view on life. He is mischievous like you but... bordering on sadistic. The few time's we have spoken he's managed to take my chakra effortlessly, almost without thinking. I found it quite disturbing the first time I felt it... I might add that he has made a habit of using his killing intent like an aura. Filling a room with it, almost to the point where it incapacitates others around him. In other words... he is nearly your alter ego."**

Naruto looked horrified. "So that's why Tayuya was so... unsettled after. And why she gets all edgy around me sometimes... like she's expecting me to lash out?"

 **"I suspect so."**

"How do I get rid of it then!? I mean, I can't have a psychotic version of me running around without me knowing!"

 **"I would guess that you will be able to stop him from taking control once you know of him. My point is this... Keep an eye on your emotions. You should be extra careful with how you are reacting around others until I find some way of countering him."**

Kurama settled down with his head between his massive paws. **"On a separate note. I must congratulate you on your sudden burst of inspiration. I've never seen you so focused since you mastered Shadow clones. I was meaning to ask if you considered combining you elemental releases."**

"Uh... you're talking about the kakkei genkai like what Haku had?"

Kurama snapped, **"What else would I mean? Listen kit, you have mastery over wind and now tenuous mastery over two other elements. All you need is practice. Now... I believe that you would be greatly served using the time between the end of the second test and the final exam to use all three in concert."**

"Well... duh. I was kinda thinking of doing that anyway. Actually I already started doing two at once... but it's hard as hell. I mean it makes Rasengan feel like a pushover jutsu. Even with the seal's on my palms it's super hard to get the chakra from two different elements to combine inside my body."

Naruto felt the Kyuubi sifting through his memories quickly, looking for evidence of his strenuous training. **"Ah... I see. Excellent. Have you thought of asking your Hokage to get a bloodline test. To see if you have a natural born kakkei genkai?"**

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Kakashi sensei already did the test and it showed that I had an affinity for wind."

 **"Indeed you have an affinity for wind... however those pieces of paper only test your active chakra. Inactive blood line abilities can't be measured by a simple bit of chakra paper. I'm not telling you that you have one, but it is more than worth the try. Actually I could do it for you, but it would not be pleasant as it requires you to use almost 99% of your chakra. And since I don't have any alignment with a particular element... I could then discern yours."**

Naruto scratched his chin. "Ok fox. I'll do it as soon as I'm done training."

 **"One more thing."**

"What?"

 **"You should do the same for your mate."**

Naruto froze. He gave the fox a suspicious look, "Are you talking about Tayuya?"

 **"You're married now. Whether it is arranged or not, you are still mates. Eventually you'll be forced to make it official. Now leave... I'm taking a nap."**

 **ooo**

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, realizing he'd been sitting quite a while. He was a bit sore after staying so still after training.

He realized that one of his clones had dispersed. The memories filtered in quickly and he glanced to his left. Tayuya was sleeping there in the grass. Flat on her back with her arms out wide. He chuckled. It was funny how aggressive she could be normally and how peaceful she looked sleeping. _"She'd probably try to attack me if she caught me staring like this. I've probably got a goofy smile plastered on my face too."_

Naruto sighed and looked across at his clones. They all poofed out of existence at the same moment. He absorbed their memorized in a great rush. Exhaustion took hold of his mind long enough to drop him down on his back. The grass was soft and cool in the shade. He could understand how Tayuya had managed to knock herself out so easy.

He closed his eyes as the toll from using so many clones began to even out. It was ten minutes before he stood up and summoned a single clone. He nodded to it. The clone bent and picked Tayuya up. She grumbled angrily about being moved. Something to the effect of, _"Leave me alone shithead"_

That caused him to smirk. The clone jumped off to his apartment. Tayuya would need a good rest.

As for him, he set off towards Tsunade's office.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tsunade shook hands with the Mizukage, the two women sizing each other up. Their cold stares matching and causing great tension in the room. Behind Mei, Ao and Chojuro looked anxious. Even Shizune behind the desk looked agitated.

Eventually the blond scowled, "You have aged remarkably well."

Mei giggled politely, "Why of course. And it seems you have even more than I... Tsunade."

They both smiled and the blond stood back, the two Kage taking in the differences between their retinue. Tsunade sighed, "It's good to see you again. I didn't expect your civil war to go quite so smoothly."

Mei winked, "With myself in charge of the assault? They didn't stand any more chance than they would have against you. And you... seem to have accustomed yourself to your new office as well."

Tsunade nodded, "Shizune makes it bearable... and unbearable at the same time. The girl is a slave driver sometimes."

The Mizukage glanced back at Ao, "I have the same problem on my end... unfortunately. These two don't have the same respect for their betters as you're student does."

They both laughed at that. Ao looked out the window sullenly. His covered eye caught the flash of chakra. Both eyes widened and he flung himself in front of his leader. "Lady Mizukage!"

THUMP

Mei looked down at him incredulously, "What's gotten into you Ao?"

The Jonin advisor was on his feet in a second pointing his finger at the window where a curious blond sat there... smirking.

Mei's eyes rose to where Ao was pointing and she froze.

 **ooo**

Naruto watched the man with the weird eye patch make a dive for the floor.

He scratched his chin as his smirk gradually turned into a grin. He commented, "Wow... nice one... but I don't think the floor was doing anything out of the ordinary." He coughed and raised an eyebrow, "Do ya feel stupid yet?"

The man was already on his feet pointing at him. Naruto's eyes shifted to the beautiful woman behind him and the boy to her other side. "Is the finger supposed to do something, or are you trying to intimidate me, cause it only making you look dumber."

The hand dropped but he was still on guard.

Then the woman behind him asked... seeming out of breath, "Mi..na...to...?"

Naruto pointed at himself, "Uh... nope. Na-ru-to." He looked at Tsunade, "Hey granny, what the hell's going on here. She is the Mizukage right? So why is she weirding out like the Tsuchikage. Is there something written on my forehead making everyone stare at me?"

Tsunade said quickly, "Um, Mei, this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Mei, the Fifth Mizukage." She hurriedly sent a hushing glance at the other woman. Mei blinked at her, still too shocked to speak.

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, "Uh... ok... Anyway..." He asked Tsunade, "I was wondering if I could get a blood test sometime before the third stage of the exams. I wanted to check to see if I had a kakkei genkei. Pervy Sage and Kakashi sensei didn't do any advanced tests to check."

She blinked, "How did you heard about the blood test method Naruto? Jiraiya was supposed to be training you in wind release."

He groaned, "Aw come on! I'm way past ready for a new element. I mastered Wind Release ages ago!"

"Prove it and I'll consider administering the test."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "Ok..." He stuck out his hand and closed his eyes. Tsunade's jaw dropped as she felt the air in the room get sucked into Naruto's palm at a prodigious rate. The atmosphere from outside just barely filling in the room quick enough to keep up. Naruto felt the compressed air building as he created a barrier around it, much like he did when forming a Rasengan.

The air condensed together harder and harder till it formed a tiny white ball, the size of an egg. Naruto opened his eyes and smirked as he pointed his hand out behind him, out of the window.

 ** _BOOM!_**

The deafening explosion of compressed air echoed through the village and the surrounding forest with the sound of a city sized canon. It shook the buildings in its path. Had it been angled downward instead of up, a small portion of the village might have been blown away. As it was, it merely caused every man, woman, and child into the village to jump out of their skin.

Even a certain Raikage nearly fell over at the unexpected explosion. His gaze shifting from the street below him, to Hokage's tower, where the blast had originated from.

Beside his B asked, "Hey big bro, what the heck was that?!"

A shook his head, "I don't know. A wind style jutsu. I'm unsure."

Behind both of them, lying face up, staring at the clouds Darui muttered, "A combination of Wind Style: 'Grand Opening' and Wind Style: 'Air Bullet'." He sighed. "But the amount of chakra used was roughly fifteen times the usual amount."

A looked at him incredulously, "No one has enough chakra to use a combination Ninjutsu of that level besides a Kage and none of the Kage are skilled in Wind release.

Darui channeled Shikamaru as he looked up at the clouds without answering. B pulled out a notebook and started taking notes.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya came awake with a start and looked around wildly. _"What the hell was that!?"_

She saw Naruto's clone sitting on his bed. Slipping out of bed she moved to him. She asked, "Hey, what just happened?"

He yawned, "No clue. Sounded like boss's new jutsu, but you never can tell. Maybe it was just Granny shouting at someone. No difference really."

Tayuya groaned, "Stupid clone. Come on. I'm going to check it out."

"Fine by me. I'm bored to hell anyway."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto watched Tsunade's expression return to a more normal one. He might have pointed out that he already could use both Lightning and Water release, but didn't want to drop that bomb yet. Maybe another time.

"Well?"

Tsunade pinched herself before she nodded, "I'll... get the test ready... Naruto."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear... oh! and I wanted one for Tayuya-chan too." He realized he'd called her chan a split second later. Even as Tsunade blinked.

"Did you just refer to her with chan?"

He chuckled uneasily, "Uh... shit... yeah, I guess I did. She is living with me... so I can't help it ya know." There was a moment of silence where no one spoke.

Mei was unable to hold her curiosity back. She inquired hopefully, "You don't by any chance know of Kushina Uzumaki?"

Naruto sweat-dropped, "Of course I know about her. She was my mom. Why do ya ask?"

Mei's jaw... dropped. Then a broad grin settled across her features. She exclaimed, "I knew the rumors were true. She was pregnant!"

Naruto glanced at Tsunade who looked to be on the verge of either shouting or fainting. Then there was a shout from outside. "NARUTO!" He went pale, "Uh... gimme a sec." He leaped backwards out of the window to somersault through the air to land expertly next to a fuming Tayuya.

"What ya need Tayuya?"

She frowned, "I wanted to know what you were doing. After all you woke me up."

He couldn't help but smirk. "Did I... interrupt your...um.. beauty sleep?"

Tayuya went red and her mouth opened to yell at him. Undoubtedly some long string of profanity which he would mentally sensor. Instead she closed her mouth and grabbed him by the hand. Naruto yelped at the pressure, but followed as quickly as he could asking, "Hey, where are you dragging me?"

She growled, "Your apartment."

Naruto sighed, "I got a quicker way ya know."

"Huh?!"

 **ooo**

Mei watched from the window as Naruto... along with an attractive red head disappeared in a flash of yellow. Her mind went back to another blond... and another ferocious redhead. The similarities were uncanny even if he was their son... and where did she come from? With that hair she had to be an Uzumaki.

She turned to Tsunade, "That was the son the late Fourth Hokage.. Minato-kun and Kushina-sempai. I know it. And that just now... That was Hirashin." Mei moved to stand in front of her fellow Kage. She spoke slowly to emphasize her point, "I would ask as a friend... and if you don't answer... then I will cash in that favor you owe me as a Kage."

"You want to know the details?"

"Yes."

Tsunade closed her eyes and glanced at Mei's retinue. The Mizukage said, "Nothing will leave this room if you don't wish it, but I will know, one way or the other."

The Hokage pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Very well. I'll tell you, but some things I simply don't know. I learned of these events second hand and I'm sure many of the details have been lost."

Mei nodded and waited for Tsunade to begin.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Tayuya's mind raced. She didn't know what to say to distract Naruto. She'd come to see what he was doing, but the moment she shouted his name... she'd had second thoughts. Would he be curious about her curiosity? Would he be annoyed that she was interrupting him while talking to the Hokage?

And she realized that she didn't really know what her own intention was in calling him down. It was causing her more distress then she'd ever admit. _"Why did I call him down? It doesn't make sense. What did I even want from him? Some kind of explanation or what!?"_

It didn't help that Naruto had flashed both of them to his apartment before she could think of a decent excuse. And now he was looking at her, his expression slightly puzzled. She glanced around the room looking for inspiration... but found nothing. Naruto eventually asked, "So um... what did you want Tayuya?"

She cursed inwardly and went with the first thing that came to mind, "I wanted you to train me with Fuinjutsu."

His eyes widened, "Huh? I guess I could do that. But why did you want to so suddenly?"

Tayuya thanked Kami that Naruto bought her excuse and shrugged. "I didn't do very well against your clone the other day. I thought that sealing would make be stronger. And I am an Uzumaki so... I should be naturally good at it right?"

Naruto said, "Yeah... I was kinda amazed how easy I picked it up. Anyway... I should tell you that I wanted Granny to test both of us for kekkei genkei. I got her to agree to do one for me, but it might take a little bit to convince her to test you... unless you can act really friendly when she sees you next. She's a bit of a sucker for cooperation if you get my meaning."

She blinked, "You would ask to get me tested?"

"I already did, but I was interrupted by the Mizukage." He walked over to his desk where he had a large sheaf of paper and brushes. Tayuya watched as he took out ink and then came back over to her. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, making her sit down. She gave him a dirty look at the contact, but did as he instructed.

Once she was sitting across from him, Naruto spread out some paper in front of her. She watched as he brought his hands together in an unfamiliar sign. There was a muted pop and a medium size scroll appeared in his hands. It was about three feet long with what looked like sealing marks winding around it. The ends were both capped with several linked circles of ruins.

"What is that?"

Naruto smiled deviously. His foxy expression gave her the idea that this was no ordinary scroll. He said, "I'll tell you a secret Tayuya. I'm probably the sneakiest ninja alive when I want to be. When I was about twelve or thirteen I stole the Forbidden Scroll of the village. In one night I learned a single jutsu from it. It was Shadow Clone jutsu."

Her eyes widened, "You stole from your own village?!"

He explained, "One of my teachers at the academy was actually trying to frame me by getting me to steal it and then kill me. But Iruka Sensei showed up and saved me from getting killed. I used my new jutsu to beat the shit out of the guy and... that's how I made Genin. Anyway... as I was saying..."

Naruto bit his thumb and drew it across the scroll and then around the ends. It opened.

Naruto rolled it out. "About two weeks ago I realized that I was training with new elemental releases, but I didn't know any jutsu for them. And I didn't want to have to listen to Kakashi sensei or anyone else giving me a hard time about my training... so I went and barrowed the Forbidden Scroll again. It took about six hours, but when you can use Shadow clones like I can... it's easy. I copied all the jutsu I liked and took a few of the bigger training scrolls to try out later."

Tayuya just stared as Naruto started shifting through the scroll's contents. "And I found a scroll in there from the Uzumaki clan. It was sealed pretty tight, but... well... lucky I'm an Uzumaki huh?"

She asked, "So you stole the Funjutsu scroll and taught yourself sealing?"

"Yep! And after I figured out how to break down seals, that's when I really got rolling. I found out that you can use your chakra to dissolve seals if you know how they work, but couldn't normally unlock them. Another lucky break for me since Kyuubi's chakra is about as corrosive as you can get. There was a scroll for the Namekaze clan... and that's the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto grinned wider, "There were a ton of pointers for doing jutsu with hardly any handsigns and there was even a teaching scroll for one-handed seals!"

"You don't like to follow rules do you?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I thought you'd already figured that out. I am the Prankster King of Konoha. I have a reputation to uphold."

She rubbed her neck nervously, "Are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?"

Naruto chided her, "How can you get in trouble for taking something if it's back before anyone realized it's gone. All of these are just copies. I returned all the scrolls except for the Uzumaki sealing scroll. And since I'm the head of the clan it's technically mine."

That made sense to her, but it was a bit startling to see how Naruto could be so adamant about helping her and making friends. And earning the respect of the village, and at the same time he had a blatant disregard for the law. _"Actually it improves him in my mind. He follows his goals and goes around obstacles when he can't get them to move. It's amazing that he gets away with this under the notice of the ANBU. I guess he's telling the truth about being discrete."_

Naruto said, "Tayuya, I'm going to leave you with a clone ok. I'm going out to train again. This is the last day I can train before the first test of the Exams start."

She asked, "What were you training in this time? You said something about water release?"

"Right now I'm working on water release. It seems a lot easier than lightning release, but I've already got that down."

Tayuya was shocked into silence as he left by the window. _"What the fuck?! He has three elemental releases now! Damn, Shadow clones are under-rated."_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Yugito wandered with B through the Leaf village. A had given them the rest of the day off before the Exams started. Of course they weren't really participating. B was here as A's guard and she was here as the Jonin instructor for one of the two teams of Genin. Darui had "volunteered" to act as the second. Yugito suspected it was more of a mandatory decision if the look on his face had been anything to go by.

B halted in his steps and she almost ran into him. "Yo Yugito my girl, you feel that?"

She shook her head for a second and then paused. _"Tailed beast chakra...!"_

Yugito nodded to her friend and they dashed off through the village streets. They received a few odd looks as they blasted out of the main gate. B broke off ahead and took a quick left off the main road. She followed as he stopped. There was a small wire gate that led onto a training field.

They took in the sight of a few hundred clones sitting together with their hands together. Then... off to one side there was one boy, facing off against what looked like a hundred clones by himself.

 **ooo**

Naruto channeled his chakra into his palm, getting ready to test his newest variant of the Rasengan on the massed clones. If it worked.. he'd finally have a ranged version of the jutsu... actually this would be the second ranged version, but Kurama had already warned him not to use the other one unless he was desperate. It would likely damage his chakra network if he wasn't very careful.

So not counting that one... he had about seven different ways to do it. The regular version, the Giant Rasengan, and the massive Rasengan were all easy to do. However it was so much harder to add in an element. Wind style was easy to overdo so he'd only made three jutsu for it. He had what he was calling Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. And then he had Rasengan Shockwave. That could have any kind of elemental release, but it worked best with wind so far.

The last two were with Lightning and water respectively. The one he was about to try was the Lightning style version. Naruto took a deep breath and held his hand out in front of him. His chakra rushed to his hands. This technique required immense amounts of chakra and control. Even with a few hundred clones practicing constantly for two days it only barely allowed him to use it by himself. He'd been hoping to get it to work with one hand... but it just didn't work with this. The lightning needed to be stable and that required two hands.

Naruto felt the hairs rising on his arms as electricity built in the air. Suddenly he stopped and whirled around, Kurama's voice loud in his ears. **"Naruto! Twotails and Eighttails are nearby. Very close... they might be watching!"**

He looked out into the surrounding trees, but saw noting for over a minute. Then he caught a glimpse of yellow... blond hair it looked like. And then a flash of white as someone shifted uneasily. Naruto shouted, "I know you're there! Come on out already! I'm not going to attack fellow Jinchuriki!"

 **ooo**

Yugito glanced at B, "Well that certainly didn't take long. He noticed us almost as soon as we settled down to watch... Is he a sensory type?"

Be shook his head, "Now Yugito, ya know how the numbers go. Nine is high and the fox is in the know."

She sighed, "Do we go out?"

"Yeah!"

Yugito glared at him for his exclamation, but stepped forward into the open. B came out a second later brushing himself off. The boy eyed them curiously. Yugito could tell that the air around him was charged with electricity. The high strung current setting the hairs on the back of her neck on end.

She asked, "You're Naruto Uzumaki right?"

He tilted his head to the side, "Yeah... and..." his eyes slid to the side. "You're B or something." His eyes returned to her. "I don't know your name though. Kyuubi doesn't recognize you either." He seemed puzzled by her. His nose twitched once and she saw his eyes... just for a moment, flash red.

It startled her long enough that B decided to answer. "Hey Naruto! This here is the lovely Yugito, pride of the Hidden Cloud, Yeah!" he pumped his fist into the air before doing a lightning fast bow. "And I am Killer B. So now you see, all of us three... Should be buds since we're jinchuriki!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked B up and down. Then... he smirked.

"Yo! B, you and me gonna be palls ya see! But before we get friendly, let's see who's the better shinobi!"

Yuguto and B had froze. The blonds both looked at B as the big man's jaw sagged. Then B pulled off his goggles, his left eye shedding a single tear. He wiped it away with a finger before replacing the goggles. He raised his head and sniffed once.

Naruto suddenly found himself in the grips of a crushing hug as B shouted, "OH YEAH! At last someone who gets me! This is it, Eight and Nine together forever WEEEEEEEEYEAH!"

B quickly released Naruto as he settled into a crouch. Naruto did the same as Be said, "But first my foxy bro, let's spar... toe to toe."

Naruto's grin turned feral and he crouched lower, pulling two kunai from his pouch as he did so. Yugito backed off quickly. This could go overboard real quick... but she was by far the weaker of Kumo's Jinchuriki. And if Naruto was anywhere near B's level, then she wouldn't even be able to intervene safely.

She sighed as B and Naruto tensed to spring.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Back at his apartment, Naruto's clone was bewildered by Tayuya's progress with sealing. One moment he was showing her basic Fuinjutsu and the next... she was taking the scroll from him (After dealing him a hefty smack to the side of the head) and scanning through it like she'd been doing it all her life. Then before he had a chance to ask what she was doing... she was rewriting all of the seals he'd copied down.

She did so slowly, but with increasing grace as he watched dumbly.

Tayuya plowed through the Level 2 sealing jutsue and techniques. They seemed so... simple. Too simple. Everything she looked at she understood as though she'd been born to it. Which she was. She wondered if there was some sort of seal on the scroll it's self to aid in Uzumaki learning from it. It made sense with the uncanny way it just.. flowed out.

Glancing up at the clone she demanded, "What level is Naruto on?!"

He shrugged. Boss is mainly on level 5, but he's tampered with level 7 jutsu. Nothing bigger than that until after the Chunin exams."

She smiled. "And just how surprised would he be if I was as good as him at sealing before he gets back from training?"

"Honestly?" The clone thought about it for a moment. "Boss probably wouldn't be too surprised. He has a lot more... faith in you then you think. As soon as you mentioned Fuinjutsu he figured you'd be showing him up soon."

Tayuya's surprise was mirrored in her expression. She leaned forward to grab the clone by the front of his jacket, "What the fuck do you mean by that?! What faith?! I'm his damned prisoner here! How much confidence does he need in me?!"

The clone attempted to prevent her strangling him and cried, "Boss doesn't...-gasp- think of you as a -choke- priso..ner... You're his... friend!..." He popped out of existence.

Tayuya was left holding onto empty air. She realized that Naruto would probably be back any second to scold her for killing the clone... or to make another one to watch her. _"I hate this! He almost never gets angry at me. He only acts disappointed... or sad. Why can't he just punch me for once!? Instead his clone goes and tells me that he CARES for me!"_

She growled and examined the scroll laid out on the floor. _"And he made me promise to TRY and be friends with him. Where does he get the idea that I could even have friends?!"_

 _"Still... I wish he were here..."_

 _"Shit! Stupid piss-brained idiot making me think stupid shitty idiotic thoughts again! Fuck?!"_

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

A shadow slipped along the corridor, searching... Soon enough it came to a door. It opened silently and the shadow slipped inside. There was a man, dozing lightly in the warm light from the window.

The shadow smiled... or grinned rather, eager to finish its mission.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Shikamaru sighed as he gazed at the white fluffy clouds that could be seen in the sky above him. It was peaceful... sort of. Every few seconds the peace would be shattered by the crunch of a potato chip as a large Akamichi boy munched away.

And it only took a few moments before his pleasant day was brought to a screeching halt as a deafening explosion made his ears ring. He sat up and looked around. "What was that?!"

Choji shrugged noncommittally, "Something blew up, sounds like. It came from training field seven I think. Probably Naruto training or something."

Shikamaru relaxed slightly, only to jerk as a second, slightly louder boom echoed over the village.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

B ducked just in time to avoid a punch... which might have removed his head from his shoulders. He grunted as he lashed out... and caught nothing... again. _'Damn its crazy... how's he so fast. I mean he's not even using Hirashin!?"_

 ** _"Watch out B. He is using sheer speed combined with his agility and power to keep you off balance. You could predict his moves if he used Hirashin. However it seems as though he's using a combination of wind and lightning chakra to greatly improve his speed and reaction times. I suggest you forfeit. At this rate he'll connect... I can promise you that a solid hit WILL put you in the hospital."_**

 _"Oh right... but there's no way I'm giving up!"_

 ** _"If you get your ass handed to you by a child jinchuriki with no control over his power... A will make a point to double your hospital stay..."_**

B dodged again, and felt his eardrums pop as the sonic boom washed over him, almost tipping his balance. Naruto was bringing his foot in to sweep him off his feet. B dashed to the side, leaping over the offending leg. He brought his own leg out to kick Naruto away.

They stopped mid motion as B felt his foot gripped by Naruto's hand, _"Oh.. crap!"_

Naruto smiled as he finally caught a hold on his opponent. B was a slippery as anyone he'd ever fought. But now it was over. Naruto growled, "RASENGAN!"

B smirked and formed his own chakra into a similar ball. Their attacks connected, B's canceling Naruto's without causing any damage. Naruto's eyes flashed with realization and B heard the ground crunch under Naruto's feet.

The Eighttail's Jinchuriki went slightly pale as Naruto flung him back over his shoulder with tremendous force. At the last moment Naruto repressed the weight seals on his hand and arm.

B's body crashed into the ground thirty feet from him. Naruto grinned as the big man hurriedly pulled himself free of the crater... but for B, it was too late. Naruto flung his hands forward channeling his chakra in a surge of power. It expressed its self as blinding white lightning. It crackled across the thirty feet in a fraction of a second, impacting B with the force of a freight train.

The man was thrown back as he attempted to break Naruto's control over the electrical energy. Naruto knew better. He knew he had more chakra. If he could overpower B's ability to control it, the fight would be over. _"Kyuubi, thanks for staying out of the fight so far, but could you lend me some chakra now?"_

A sardonic chuckle echoed through him mind. The Kyuubi almost seemed eager. **_"Of course..."_**

B saw the stream of white swell to epic proportions. It was a wall of light ten feet across as it pulsed towards him. His eyes went wide as the lightning turned a deep arterial red.

Naruto pulled his chakra back at the last second to avoid incinerating his opponent. Instead of turning him to ash, the stream of red thinned to a single bolt, which struck B in the chest, slamming him backwards.

 **ooo**

Yugito saw B plow into the ground back first as the bloody lightning receded back into Naruto. She rushed over to B, thinking he'd been maimed. But even as she dropped to her knees by him, he sat up grinning, "YO! NARUTO! That's some lightning you got, gave me quite the shock, Ya know!"

Naruto walked over to him looking down, "Yeah, that was great. I haven't been able to really let loose in years... literally. After that the Chunin exams are going to feel like a breeze."

B coughed and held his hands to his lips, "Got me good Naruto, never felt the bite of lightning from another Jinchuriki..." He pulled his hand back and saw red.

Yugito sighed, "At least you don't have a smoking hole in your chest after that." She turned to Naruto, "Thanks for holding back that last attack, otherwise he'd be going to the emergency room right about now."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah... well, I've actually had a smoking hole in my chest before so I try not to overdo it." They looked at him curiously as he unzipped his jacket and pulled his shirt down. It showed the huge scar directly above his heart. Naruto explained, "Chidori almost killed me. It's probably the closest I've ever come to dying."

B struggled to his feet, aided by Yugito, "Yo Naruto, It was a good fight, let's have some dinner sometime! My treat if can show me how to use that jutsu!"

He punched B in the shoulder, "Yeah, ok. I'd usually go to Ichiraku, but there's a great BBQ place here in the village that everybody goes to. Do you mind if I bring one of my friends?"

The big man laughed, "Naruto, your friends are my friends, fool ya fool!"

Naruto nodded, "I'll catch you later then. I'll show you around the village too."

Yugito and B both nodded, "See ya Naruto."

He gave them a goofy grin and flashed away.

As soon as he was gone Yugito turned to B, "What do you think B?"

"I think the little bro has mad skills, not to mention caught me solid with my own element. Got guts too and he's a master with his jutsu... But..."

Yugito asked, "But what?"

"Little bro's got pain... lots more than you. Lot's more than me. I could see it. He's hurt and I can see he hides it. The only think keeping him good... is that warm smile. As long as he's got friends... like us... he'll be just fine."

She processed this. "What should we tell A about him?"

B raised an eyebrow, "The truth, but I ain't hoping that big bro is gonna be happy. I don't think Naruto is one to be manipulated to easy. Not by us..."

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Naruto arrived in his apartment to find... chaos. Well, maybe not chaos, but certainly disorder. Tayuya was on his bed, brushing ink onto a complicated seal.

He took his time to move through the crowded floor to her. He allowed the memories of his clone to fully integrate with his own. It… took a while. He didn't know whether to smirk or grimace. Sometimes Tayuya could be a bit terrifying. But... he thought that he'd seen her vulnerable for a second... through his clone's eyes.

Naruto silently crept up on the redhead as she painted.. unawares. He looked over her shoulder at what she was doing. He wasn't astonished to find her working on a level 6 seal. It was called 'Disintegration lock'. It was a complex seal that you inscribed on a paper beforehand. Then all you had to do was press the design to bare skin and it would transfer. No chakra was needed to activate it so you had to be careful.

Its effect was simple. After it was imprinted on a person it would stay inactive until the user jolted it with their chakra. What followed was perhaps one of the most gruesome deaths he could imagine. All the water would be drawn from the target's body. First the blood would become powder, then the muscles would shrink to nothing and every part would be mummified in seconds. After a minute even the moisture in the bones would be extracted, turning even the skeleton to dust.

Naruto shivered. Tayuya let out a long breath as she finished the seal and sent a jolt of energy through the ink to dry it.

He asked dryly, "Who are you using _that_ on?"

She whipped around and stared at him, "Naruto... I thought you would be here a while ago... or at least send a clone."

He smiled saying, "I trust you to be on your own Tayuya. You're smart enough to take care of yourself. And anyway, before now my clones were just there in case you needed something." Which was true enough. Over the past few weeks she'd asked for many things… Up to and including her own deep storage scroll, something that was usually ungodly expensive… but in his case, he simply made it.

Naruto paused. He sniffed the air as Tayuya considered his words. It was a ..sweet smell, but also slightly animal. For a moment he thought it was himself. It was a bit like his default scent... but he was sweating from sparring. This smell was... Tayuya. Strong and alluring, making his head spin. Be blinked trying to clear his head.

Tayuya gave him an odd look as she saw his cheeks flush. "Something wrong with you? Why the fuck are you blushing?" _"And why the hell are you looking at me like that... pervert."_

He glanced away, struggling to keep his breathing normal.

 _"Kyuubi... You're not enhancing my sense of smell... are you?"_

 ** _"No... why?"_**

 _"It's just I can usually smell Tayuya from across a room, but right now... it's overpowering. I can't... think straight."_

 ** _"It's not me."_**

 _"Well can you do anything?!"_

 ** _"I can increase your senses, but I can't dull them past your normal level. As a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, you will have a sense of smell superior to any human. That's just how it is. Deal with it."_**

Naruto gulped and tried to answer Tayuya, "It's just that... uh... I can smell... It's like you're wearing some kind of perfume... _"And it's amazing..." ..._ and it's hard to concentrate." He watched as her lips form an O.

"Oh... that. There was seal for muting smells. It looked a bit different than the one for absorbing sound. I tried to change it to where it would filter scent instead of making it disappear entirely."

He took a deep breath. _"That's why... All I can smell is her. I can't find the scent of anything else right now... jeeze that's dangerous..."_

She asked, "Something wrong with how I smell Shithead?" She crossed her arms and Naruto had to fight the urge to lean in closer. Scratch that. He _was_ leaning in closer.

"It's not that... I just... really.. like it."

Tayuya's eyes widened. Her cheeks went pink and she looked away from him. "Don't say stupid shit like that..."

His expression mirrored her, "It's not that, I mean... you smell good all the time, it's just that I can't smell anything else right now and..." Naruto realized that she was staring at him, annoyed, but sporting a wide blush. His voice drifted off to nothing as her scent sharpened. Almost unconsciously he inhaled. _"Why does she have to smell so good?! I want to..."_

He left that thought unfinished... What he wanted to do was move closer and push his face into the crook of her neck. If she was tantalizing at this distance... he couldn't imagine how sweet she would be close up. His eyes closed as a pleasant shiver crawled up his spine. Naruto didn't realize his body was moving until Tayuya let out a shout that rang painfully in his ears.

"NARUTO!?"

Her soft skin brushed against his as he found himself in the same position as when Tsunade had barged in with Inoichi. Tayuya was cursing him loudly, again drawing on her repertoire of 'nonexistent curse words'. At this distance... he could easily ignore them. He shuddered as her scent changed, shifting with the course of her emotions. _"_ _Even pissed off she smells amazing…"_

 **ooo**

Naruto was on top of her. His face was scant inches from hers. His blue eyes were unfocused and his breathing was uneven.

Tayuya felt a chill race up her spine. She knew something was wrong then. Naruto's skin, which touched hers was becoming hot. Like the blood inside him was scalding. At the same time his eyes, shifted. They focused on her with a deadly intensity and the pupils narrowed. They lost their warmth too, leaving her feeling frozen under his gaze. The way he straddled her changed in an instant. His muscles relaxing and his breath becoming steady. Her mind recoiled at the thought of what was happening…. Because she knew _exactly_ what was happening.

Naruto spoke, his voice a resonant growl. The vibration turning the words themselves into a long draw out purr. "Tayuya... long time no see... I'm amazed you woke me up again..."

He smiled down at her, showing off his canines. "Well? No comment? I guess my plan didn't bear fruit. Pity..." His grin unsettled her far more than any stare leveled on her by Orochimaru… no matter how cold. And he wasn't even releasing any killing intent.

Tayuya stopped struggling. _He_ was leering down at her. The _other_ Naruto. The terrifying one. She forced out, "You said you wouldn't shift back and forth... go away and bring the other one back." She also restrained the ever increasing urge to shiver.

Naruto shook his head chidingly, "Ah... Tayuya. When I recall how you've been treating the other me... it makes me wonder if you need to be punished. But... then I see how _delightfully_ submissive you are. It almost makes me want to reward you. After all, we only spoke once so it's surprising how well you learn." He moved one hand to rest on her stomach.

"Do you want a reward? I can make you feel amazing..."

She didn't want that. She just wanted him gone. This being was too ...different. He felt evil, like his form was dressed in shadow.

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes sliding to the right. She realized he was examining the room around them with a calculated intensity. The corers of his mouth twisted upward. "Amazing... You have nearly surpassed my other self... in an evening. You truly are an Uzumaki and nearly full blooded at that. I see now why he is so adamant about the clan returning... I just thought he wanted a couple little Uzumaki power-houses that he could twist into his personal slaves...

He turned his attention back to Tayuya. "Of course you know who I mean by 'he'. Don't you."

"Danzo."

Naruto's eyebrow raised, "Yes... good. I'd hate for my mate to be ignorant of why she's in this position."

She narrowed her eyes, "Go to hell. I'm in an arranged marriage with your other half. I'm not your fucking mate." Tayuya didn't know where her sudden courage came from. It just seemed to pop into her head, the words prepackaged and ready o speak aloud. Despite herself she gulped nervously. If he decided to rape her just to prove a point…..

Her words managed to get another half inch out of his eyebrow arch. Naruto chuckled and she could feel it though their close contact. He blinked as if clearing his vision and pushed closer... only fractionally. He asked, "Oh... what am I to do. My nice pleasant mate just turned into a mean girl..." Naruto's gaze was locked firmly on hers as he said, "You _are_ my mate. You're just too stubborn to admit that you had no say in the matter. What you call it is pointless."

He forced his body down. Tayuya grimaced as the contact between them increased. She had to bite her tongue to prevent from cursing him with every word in her collection... She managed to keep her foul language from leaping out, but her expression wasn't under her control. Her glare was all he needed to see to know exactly how she felt.

Tayuya didn't look away as his face came just a fraction closer... again a smile graced his lips. Though she didn't notice with how close he was. Naruto sighed in an exasperated way that reminded her of Kimimaro.

"Oh well... My time seems to be up again. Really... this was a _lovely_ talk, albeit slightly one sided. I was thinking of leaving you hanging with another kiss... but that seems cruel to my other half. After all his emotions are already screwed up. If he woke up mid kiss again, I'm sure it would break him... so..."

He moved his head to the side and bent closer, whispering in her ear. "I leave you with a piece of information... The more unstable Naruto is, the more likely Naruto is me."

Tayuya gasped as he bit her softly in the hollow of her neck. She pushed out hard and succeeded in forcing him back from her... except it wasn't _him._ Naruto looked down at her with the most profound depiction of astonishment she'd even seen. His eyes widened comically.

"What happened... I mean... your...and I... how..."

Confusion turned to extreme embarrassment. His face, which had flushed, lost its color. "S..sorry Tayuya! I didn't mean to!"

She glared up at him, as if she could somehow make the other one see it. All she got in return was another apology from Naruto. She growled, "I don't care alright! But how long are you going to sit on me?!"

He substituted with a pillow from her bed to avoid her fist, which she's pulled back at the last moment. The other Naruto's words were ringing in her ears. _"The more unstable he is? What exactly does that mean? Does it mean when he's angry or sad or extremely happy? Or is it just when he's unbalanced?"_

She continued to give him the stink eye until he looked away. Then she sighed, "You do know what happened right?" It entered her mind that Naruto usually hid any sadness he might be feeling so well that it would be impossible to tell when he was… unstable. _"_ _Not that the idiot isn't unhinged eighty percent of the time anyway."_

He glanced at her, obviously uneasy, "Yeah... the... you know. The other me. I didn't even notice anything. It just sort of..."

Tayuya sat up. "You can't control him? Not even a little?"

Naruto slumped, "Um... can I be blunt without you getting mad at me?"

"I don't know. That depends."

He tried to explain it to her. "I... I just found out about him from Kyuubi a while ago. I think... I could probably block him out. But when I came in... And you smelled, I just lost focus. I couldn't think straight. Don't take it the wrong way.. but I like how you..."

"Smell?" She wasn't precisely sure how she felt about that. Was it important in any way if he liked the way she smelled? Besides the obvious fact that his senses shouldn't have been anywhere near keen enough to smell her normally…. At all.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak further. Tayuya seemed to be thinking it over. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of her thinking anything over. She would probably decide to give him hell for it after all. After a minute she said, "I can't get angry at you for something that isn't your fault... but that doesn't mean I'm not pissed... Shithead."

Naruto sighed ,"I figured you'd say that... I guess...? Wait did you actually forgive me?!"

The glare returned, "I told you, I'm still not happy about it. You need to get a fucking hold of yourself... But yes. I did just forgive you... this once." Her purple eyes softened... slightly. "Now get over here. I had an idea for a seal you could use."

His fear was forgotten in favor of curiosity. He left her bed and moved back to where she was sitting. Tayuya bent down to the side of the bad and shifted through a stack of notes. Naruto said, "You sure did work through all that fast... Are all those notes that you took?"

She shook her head as she sorted through the stack, "No. Idiot. I took a page out of your book. Even though I can't make very many shadow clones. I made two. They made notes on everything I was doing."

"I never thought of doing that..."

Tayuya smirked, "That's because you're a thick headed moron. I, on the other hand, am smarter than any of Orochmaru's servants... save for one... That's beside the point. Look at this."

She handed him five pages and a sixth which had a strange seal on it. It looked like two triangles... and one circle. They were all linked together to form a seal with the circle at the top and the points of the triangles facing inward.

Naruto shifted through her notes. "Uh... this is like... a level 4 seal... that you reversed and then combined with the six tetrigram seal. Except you tweaked it so that there's no limit to how many layers in can have... So you could just put one on top of another on top of another. Basically to infinity."

He looked back at Tayuya. She was grinning, "Well, What do you think? Pretty fucking genius if you ask me."

Naruto said, "You combined the third most powerful chakra sealing jutsu known... with two separate seals for the same thing. Chakra conversion seals... Fairly low power ones, but since the control seal you added is so powerful there would be no chance for them to degrade."

She pointed at a detail he'd missed. "See there, "I reversed one of them. Instead of it being a seal that allows you to funnel chakra one way, this allows you to do it both ways... at the same time."

He blinked in amazement. The pieces were falling into place in his own mind. "Oh...shit... And with no limit to how many you could layer on top of one another... all I would have to do is add in all five elemental releases to the Tetrigram seal..."

"...and you could use all five elements at the same time without weaving handsigns."

Naruto's jaw dropped at the implications. "YOU CAME UP WITH THIS IN A FEW HOURS?!"

Tayuya snatched the papers out of his hand triumphantly, "Well... I _am_ about 97 percent Uzumaki. You're only half. So if the rumor about Uzumaki and sealing is true... I should master sealing more than twice as fast as you!"

She leaned back, "And you know what? I've decided that I'll make myself fucking _indispensible_ to this village. Once I master sealing, they'll be afraid to touch me. And that bastard Danzo won't come near me."

Naruto thought, _"It's times like this I wonder why Orochimaru let her go so easily. He's got spies everywhere. He's got to know she survived. I guess that's a puzzle for another day."_

He interrupted her, "Um... one thing though..."

"What is it?"

He said, "Even for me, this seal would be a killer to use. I mean... the amount of chakra I'd use putting this thing together. It'll take me a week just to dredge up the chakra to do it once. And another thing. This can give someone the ability to use other elemental releases without much training at all, but since the conversion seals are small... I could only use jutsu... maybe up to B-rank."

She smacked him upside the head, "For someone who's probably made himself one of the best Fuinjutsu users alive already, you do get tunnel vision. Damn you're dense. Look!"

Tayuya showed him the seal again. "You see how I didn't overlap them? I actually combined the seals. If you layer these right you can... rework the seal as you layer each one. Then you can have five seals in total... and all of them are attached through the conversion seals."

He looked at her blankly, "And?"

"ARGG! If you use one elemental release then you can convert enough chakra to use a solid C-rank jutsu. If you channel two elemental releases then you can easily use a B-rank jutsu. Get the picture?"

Naruto hesitantly said, "If I did three then that would be A-rank... and four would be S-rank..."

Tayuya shrugged, "Actually if you're using three elements at the same time, I'd pretty much call it S-rank from then on." She slipped off the bed and started gathering all her notes and practice seals together. "So tell me. How many elemental releases can you do?"

He thought, "Well... Wind, I think I'm probably A-rank now. And if I mix it with Rasengan it's a total S-rank. In Lightning I'm a B-rank, but even that's hard still." He left out the part about funneling the Kyuubi's chakra into his lightning style Rasengan… For some reason the demon chakra turned his B rank lightning attack into an S rank one. He hoped that he could achieve the same results with his other Rasengan variants.

He shook his head from his daydreaming and continued. "Once I got the hand of water, it was pretty easy. I'm B-rank in that too... I think. I can't do earth release very well at all, even though I know a bunch of jutsu from Kakashi and Jiraiya sensei. Most of those are variations on the tunneling jutsu."

Naruto scratched his chin, "As for Fire release... I can do it... but it's taking a lot more time to master then the others."

"Well that's pretty obvious. You're mainly a wind nut, so fire would normally be out of your reach." She finished stacking her diagrams of seals before turning to him, "So how long would it take you to inscribe three of these on you?"

"Almost a month... probably. Unless you were doing it..." He didn't mention the fact that there were only three places where such a powerful seal could be placed. Three different positions along his back and right over his heart. He wasn't sure she'd be willing to inscribe the complete seal on him, then stay in physical contact for the four or five hours necessary to rework the seal. All while funneling copious amounts of chakra from him into her and then back into the seal.

He said, "I figure since you _seem_ to be so much better at this, you could probably get it done sooner. I would have to look through all your notes in full and piece apart the seal to make sure I know how it works... That's kinda the problem with Fuinjutsu. Everyone has a different style."

She paused, "Unless we made our own style together..."

They stared at each other for a long while. Naruto shocked that she would suggest it, but curious at what the result could be. Tayuya, thinking over all the possibilities. She said slowly, "With my natural ability as an Uzumaki... and your ridiculous chakra reserves... we could make seals that most people wouldn't have a chance in hell of deciphering. And as long as we worked together..."

He finished, "...Then we wouldn't have to worry about not know what one of us was doing..."

Naruto allowed a smile to twist his face into his signature foxy grin, "I was wondering... Tayuya... do you think you could help me out with my training?"

"Sure.. I think I could do that." She smirked "Shithead…"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And that's it from me! I know..I know, I made Naruto OP. I gave him Hirashin…and he's faster than B (when he isn't using Gyuki's chakra) and he's blasting out new jutsu and elemental releases… but honestly… I think this is how it should have been if Naruto was taking advantage of the awesome hand he was dealt.**

 **And Dark Naruto strikes again… Really, blame Tayuya for messing with his head. He is dense as a twenty ton door nail after all.**

 **-sigh- I've been having a troubling thought… I want to be original with this story, and yet… Tayuya is the kind of girl to use an insult as a term of endearment… But Shithead has already been used as such in at least three other stories I've read. Piss-for-brains is also seen commonly. I'm actually, genuinely running out of good snappy insults.**

 **Ah well, maybe it would be original to have her "not" insult him after a while….. THAT'S IT!... Nah, it's stupid. She'd never do that.**

 **Anyway…. ALL YE THAT REMAIN FAITHFUL…REVIEW!**

 **P.S. I've started a second Naruto/DxD fic… Do I post or not?**


	6. Chapter 5 - Blaze

**And thus is another chapter born… uploaded, posted, whatever. Sigh… The Chunin exams begin! But how will they end? Anyway….**

 **Yojimbra** **: Posting this as late as I can…. Hoping to catch you up again…. HAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **Now… I have question for all of you. I am currently finished writing all the way up to the start of the Third test, so… I can go for a nice ending to the exams…. Or a** ** _dark_** **ending. Kukuku…**

 **Light ending requires 20 votes**

 **Dark ending requires 25 votes** **or whichever is higher after that.**

 **If neither then I'll find somewhere in between at my own discretion.**

 **And now a small piece of advice from your favorite redhead… "A dull kunai is like a man without a dick…. Useless!"**

 **(I don't own Naruto)**

 ** _Chapter 5_**

The next day Naruto sat near the back of the classroom in the Leaf village's Academy. The room had been rearranged and long desks were been placed in rows. Twelve teams of Genin sat in stony silence. Some stared hopelessly at their paper, while others glanced furtively around the room. Why? Because the first test of the Chunin Exams had begun.

Naruto's eyes shifted to the row in front of him. Three seats over sat the second member of his impromptu team, Tenten. She looked confident, but then again, she was a bit like Sakura. She could handle these ridiculously over complicated questions. He figured that she would be fine without his help... However...

On the other side of the classroom, Konohamaru sat. Naruto allowed himself to grin. Tayuya really was a life saver. And some of the ideas she came up with were... amazing. After all... who would have thought to kidnap a couple of the Chunin in the room and replace them with henged Shadow clones? He snickered as his eye caught one of his clones. It was transformed into the form of a tall, pale Chunin. Of course he didn't have the answers, but... he could mark down other Genin.

At first Naruto had thought it was a bit unsporting to henge his clones into the observers for the express purpose of eliminating the competition. But Tayuya had convinced him (albeit rather easily) that it was part of the Exams. He needed to take every opportunity to get ahead. And so... he was. Of course his clones were _far_ more adept at catching the sly movements of the other Genin..

At the same time his clones studiously ignored his team, concentrating more on the ninja from Iwa, who Naruto had developed a _slight_ grudge against. He idly wondered if any of Iwa's ninja would get through this round. Out of the three teams they had, he'd already eliminated one... and they'd only been at it for twenty minutes.

But he wasn't worried about failing the test. Both he and Konohamaru had special seals on their palms. The effect was quite simple. It allowed Naruto to write the answers, which he'd already memorized, on a scrap piece of paper. Then press his palm over it. A second later Konohamaru would press his palm to a blank sheet of paper... and presto! The answer would appear. (as discreetly as possible of course) He'd already fed Konohamaru all the answers, and Tenten was guaranteed to get at least half of them right, so that meant they were all set.

"Iwa, Team 6, you're dismissed."

Naruto chuckled as the Iwa nin stood and stomped out of the room. His clone glanced at him, making eye contact before going back to his task. Naruto leaned back in his seat and glanced around the room. His gaze settled on a boy he recognized. "He had silver/blue hair that was cut short. He wore a Mist Village headband... and Earmuffs? Naruto recognized him as the boy who was with the Mizukage.

 _"Huh... So he's a Genin? I guess he never got the chance to take the exams either. He might be a challenge... And whatever he's got on his back... keeps giving me a bad feeling. I wonder what it is. Some kind of weapon?"_

He sighed and looked down the room to where the figure of Ibiki stood. Naruto wondered if all the proctors would be the same. If so... _"Maybe Anko will be the lead in to the Forest of Death again. Hehe... Let's see if she sticks her entrance this time..."_

A groan came from just in front of him. The nondescript head of the Kunoichi bobbed as she nearly banged her head on the table. Naruto head a barely audible " _shit_ " from her. Naruto's brows furrowed together... _"Oh... I get it. She's from Iwa. She's probably discouraged that two of their tree teams have already been knocked out. hehe... maybe I'll tip them off to what happened later. Their expressions would be priceless."_

 **ooo**

Thirty minutes passed. Naruto was looking around the room as a few particularly dim witted Genin finally decided they had no choice but to cheat. Ten more minutes and it was over. Surprisingly, no more teams were eliminated. He chalked it up to the fact that the observers were taking it easy. And his clones had concentrated their full attention on the last group from Iwa. He had to admit... they were good. Managing to fool four different Narutos at the same time was no small feat.

Not that it really mattered. He was going to the very end. He'd vowed that he would be standing in the arena for the final match... Whoever his opponent might be... he would win.

 **BANG!**

Anko Mitarashi popped out of thin air with a tremendous bang, just as Ibiki was finishing up his speech, a long onerous thing which Naruto ignored.

Anko shouted, "ALL HAIL THE SNAKE MISTRESS OF KONOHA!"

Echoing silence.

She dropped her arms and glanced at Ibiki sourly, "An even less lively bunch than last year..." The heavily scarred man didn't bother to answer that. Instead he turned his attention back to the room, "OK! All of you pass the first stage of the Chunin Exams! Now... Follow Anko to the second Test!"

Naruto stood quickly as the other Genin did the same.

 **ooo**

Anko watched the Genin rise in their seats. She sighed inwardly. It looked like this would be a boring year... Then she halted. A Chunin observer caught her eye... _"What the fuck?"_

It was Kikou... _"But he's missing... what the hell!"_ Anko strode forward and grabbed the imposter by the shoulder, pulling him to his feet. "You! Who are you!?"

He blinked in shock and confusion. Anko noted the raised eyebrows from around the room. Then Ibiki was next to her, "Anko! What are you up to? Unhand Kikou-san."

She growled loudly, "This _isn't_ Kikou. Tell me you aren't fooled by this imposter!" Anko glanced back at Ibiki just as his eyes hardened. His jaw clamped and he brought a kunai from his pouch in a flash of steel.

"You're skilled, I'll give you that. I didn't even notice you. Tell me, who are you and what village are you a part of?"

The room was hushed as everyone watched the imposter smile winningly, "Ah... guess the gig is up. Honestly, you should see your faces right now."

"Why you little..."

He interrupted her, "But I'll have to cut you off there. My job is done... see you later Anko-san." Then he vanished in a plume of smoke. Anko grasped at thin air as her mind worked overtime to connect the dots. _"That was the Shadow clone jutsu... a Leaf village jutsu. But that means that some Leaf nin wanted to... to what? What was that clone doing here?"_

 **ooo**

Naruto felt the memories of the clone enter his mind. A small self satisfied smile crossed his lips. He would treasure the look on Anko's features for the rest of his life. Naruto wondered if there was some way he could convert memories into a seal…. And then into a picture. _"_ _I bet I could challenge Tayuya to do it. I wonder if it's even possible."_

He was rudely interrupted as Anko nearly caved his head in. _"_ _Damn…"_

"You little shit! I knew it was you the moment I saw the fucking self satisfied smirk of yours! I'll string you up by your own hamstrings and use you as a dart board for making me look like an idiot!"

Naruto evaded her expertly, flipping out of his seat with the skill and poise of someone who often found themselves attacked. Anko sailed under him ready to remove his manly bits with what looked like a sharpened spoon. He blinked at that as he let his momentum carry him to the ceiling, where he stayed…. looking down at her still grinning.

"Anko-chan… is that… a spoon?"

She whirled from the remains of his smashed desk, the gleaming metal instrument of death flashing in the light. Her furious eyes locked onto his. "N..A..R..U..T..O….."

"Yes Anko-chan?"

"STRIKING SHADOW SNAKES!"

Naruto promptly vanished from the spot he'd been, reappearing beside Ibiki. The tall interrogator looked down at him with a most aggrieved expression. "You know she's going to catch you. The longer you try to escape, the worse it will be."

The blond ducked several kunai and shuriken that were surly aimed to kill. "Where's the fun in giving up? Do you know how long it's been since someone was _actually_ able to catch me?" He watched Anko begin working through handsigns. "Besides, you can just tell everyone to be at the forest of death and I'll make sure she gets there."

Ibiki grumbled, "And Lord Hokage said you had matured somewhat."

Naruto pulled out one of his new kunai. He was starting to get the feeling that Anko wasn't messing around. The number of handsigns she'd already done….. whatever torture she was planning it would be grand.

He said, "Oh… and by the way…"

There were three loud popping sounds from around the room. "Just thought you might want to know that those guys are currently hogtied in the general location of the Yamanaka compound."

Ibiki blinked, "Why?"

Naruto twirled his kunai as Anko finished her hand signs, "Cause they're the only clan who wouldn't actually notice that there were four Chunin stuffed in their basement…" he left the rest unsaid and beat an extremely hasty retreat via Hirashin.

 **ooo**

 **ooo**

Lord A, the Raikage along with Darui stood, looking over the impressive entrance to the forest of death. The place was huge, and to those of Genin or even low Chunin status… extremely dangerous. How Konoha managed to keep the massive monsters and other outsized predators inside the forest was beyond him. There were no seals in place to prevent entry or exit and nothing other than a tall chain fence to guard against intrusion.

A grumbled, "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when Shinobi from other villages accomplish things that make absolutely no logical sense…. And then have the audacity to rub it in our faces?"

Darui looked bored. That wasn't really saying much. The only times he didn't look bored was when he was close to being killed or… never mind. He only changed expression when he was near death. A personally had never seen his face change for any other reason. Besides of course B's rapping. Though… as far as he was concerned, his adopted brother's rapping _was_ a death sentence.

The young man to his right nodded fractionally. Then his hand eased towards the pommel of his sword. A caught the movement a second later. His eyes widened slightly, as did Darui's.

One yellow flash later and a tall blond boy was standing a few hundred feet away. He looked around as if searching for something that wasn't there. Then his shoulders slumped and he casually twisted his wrist. In an explosion of smoke there was a red headed girl standing in front of him… And a highly irritated red head at that.

A had the good sense not to die of a heart attack right then. _"_ _Must restrain urge to look stupid. I just know that B is somewhere nearby waiting for the chance to catch me unaware."_

Then his ears picked up what they were saying.

 **Ooo**

Naruto grinned sheepishly as Tayuya prepared to knock him into the next dimension. Her hair was wet and it looked like she had just finished getting dressed.

"Why the fuck did you think it was alright to just summon me here?! Five minutes earlier and I would have been naked!"

"How was I supposed to know Tayuya-chan?! It's not like I've got some sort of peeping seal set up. That's Jiraiya's gig, not mine."

She apparently didn't notice the chan part… which he was grateful for. Other than that he didn't know what all the fuss was about. Why did everyone get on him about what ALMOST happened. It almost… happened. It didn't actually happen.

"I almost saw you naked. So what. I've already seen that before. Besides you're not naked right now so why are you hassling me about it?"

The incident where he'd seen her naked wasn't something he wanted to think about. Even Kyuubi admitted that he'd had difficulties healing his wounds.

Tayuya growled, "I hate you."

"You keep saying that… Anyway, did you finish that seal we were working on? I really want to try it during the second test. I'm pretty sure there will be a ton of finishers this year since so many of the big villages came. So there's probably going to be a preliminary match right after the second test. And it would be great to figure out who I'll be strong against in the tournament."

She sighed and took out a scroll from her pouch asking, "And here I thought you would just race to the center and place a seal, use Hirashin to bring your team to the tower, and wait for the first team to go in. You know… try and beat the Kazekage's record?"

He shrugged, "Honestly, I don't really care about breaking his Chunin Exam record. I pretty much gave up on trying to beat him in anything besides a strait up fight. He's younger than me and he's Kage… so he already beat me to my main goal."

Tayuya snickered, "Must sting to know the container of the Shukaku one upped you. You being the Kyuubi's container and all."

Naruto eyed her with something approaching hostility. "Now you just went and upset him… bitch. Now I'm going to have to listen to Kyuubi shouting at me for the next week about letting Garra beat me."

Tayuya looked surprised for a second. "I must be rubbing off on you. You aren't usually the one to curse."

He glared at her, "You try having a pissed off fox twice the size of this village shouting vague threats in your ear for a few years. See how you cope. Plus he's as prideful as a room full of Hyuuga clan elders and his breath leaves much to be desired."

 **Ooo**

A glanced at Darui, "Seems like the boy doesn't get along with his beast."

Darui shrugged, "B doesn't always jive with Eighttails… so it's hard to tell."

They both returned to listening in.

 **Ooo**

Naruto at last took the scroll from Tayuya. It was a seal…. One that he already had on him… and a jutsu to go with it.

The night before he and Tayuya had sat up late brainstorming on jutsu and seals. She'd come up with this to help him, and eventually herself, in combat. The seal was simple. It allowed him to funnel away minuscule fractions of his chakra to use as he saw fit. Ordinarily if he reached out to gauge someone's power, his chakra would slam down on them like a load of bowling balls…. Whatever those were. And he couldn't get any accurate sense of their abilities, unless of course they could match him for chakra. And that, as Tayuya had said, was a likely as the Iwa council of elders offering him their first born children.

The jutsu was one that he'd found on the scroll of sealing. Very useful to someone who had very little chakra and no sensory ability. It simply mixed his chakra with the natural chakra emanations of the target Shinobi. Then you withdrew the chakra inside yourself and Presto! You would know how strong your opponent was. And if you were really good then you might be able to tell what kind of chakra natures they had.

Tayuya had scoffed at first when he told her about a jutsu that was so easy to use that almost no one would use it. Even Chunin had too much chakra and could easily overpower the technique. …Actually he was kinda curious what would happen if he….

"NARUTO!"

"Oh shit!"

Naruto pushed Tayuya out of the way just in time to turn and activate half of his gravity seals at the same time. The earth beneath him cracked as he blocked Anko's strike with an arm which was simply too heavy to move.

He said, "Sorry about that trouble in the classroom…. What jutsu did you use by the way?"

Naruto received no answer and removed all the weight from his seals… becoming light as a down feather. Along with chakra enhancement that made him _many_ times faster than Anko. Her next blow therefore didn't even come close to hitting him. He was already twenty feet behind her.

She looked to where he had been in slight shock. _"_ _No hand signs… not even one…. Not even a one handed sign. What the actual fuck?! Did that brat figure out how to do a sealless Hirashin?!"_ Naruto apparently read her thoughts because he snickered.

Anko whipped around in time to see Tayuya looking at her with a slightly cross/amused expression. Anko didn't immediately recognize her. She was standing awfully close to Naruto thought and in her mind blond and blue eyes…. automatically connected to purple eyes and foul temper. Therefore she was struck dumb long enough for other students to start arriving.

Naruto had one eyebrow raised comically as if asking "Do you really want to risk looking even… stupider?"

She didn't have a mental answer to this silent question… therefore she was silent. However… she vowed to whatever gods there were… she would end him… and she would do it oh so painfully.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Somewhere in the land of Lightning a man was sharpening his scythe. He hummed brokenly as he did so. Off to one side a second man was buried up to his ears in a large notebook.

All of a sudden the humming stopped and the scythe bit deeply into flesh as he sneezed explosively.

Dark orange eyes lifted from the large checkbook to regard the scythe wielder as he removed his weapon from his chest. Kakuzu commented, "That is the first time you have ever sneezed in my presence. If you do so again… I will kill you."

Hidan looked back at him… a large goofy grin all over his face. "Fuck you.. I do believe I have found my soul mate."

"What on earth are you blathering about this time."

It was more of a statement than a question but Hidan answered anyway. "I don't know… but just for a second… I would have sworn someone else was praying to Jashin-sama… and a woman no less."

Kakuzu grunted, "Assuming your idiot god is real, how could you possibly know this being was female?"

Hidan shrugged and stood up, "No clue! But now that I know I'm not alone in my worship I MUST FIND HER!"

"As painfully as possible…"

Hidan looked at Kakuzu like he was stupid, "Well of course I'll do it as painfully as possible! Fucktard!"

"That isn't even a word."

The silver haired man looked appalled, "IT ISN'T?! **BLASTPEMY!"**

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Back in Konoha, A and Darui decided it would be best if they returned to Hokage tower. Tsunade had informed them that there would be large viewing screens this time around. Not only to keep a close eye on the Genin, but also to better assess who was worthy of becoming Chunin.

A personally wanted to see just how good Naruto Uzumaki was in a real fight.

 **Ooo**

Naruto grinned at Anko again before turning to greet Konohamaru, highfiving him. The younger boy smirked at Anko and asked, "So… boss, how fast you think we can finish?"

Naruto shrugged, "I think we can probably beat an hour six minutes, but we still have to snatch the right scroll. Depending on who we run into… we could smash the record… but I was kinda hoping to try out a new jutsu before the preliminary tournament."

Konohamaru looked askance. "Really boss? You actually think that many teams will make it to the third round? You remember your last Exam. The Konoha twelve and like two other teams were the only ones to get through. There's only three teams from Konah this time. Ours… and team 4 and one other… but I don't really know the guys on it."

They stopped as Tayuya walked back over to them. Konohamaru glanced at her before turning to Naruto again. At that moment he seemed to freeze and did a double take. "Woah… Who are you!? I've never seen anyone with red hair like that!?"

Tayuya eyed him as Naruto said, "This is Tayuya Uzumaki. Tayuya… meet Konohamaru Sarutobi, the somewhat less than honorable grandson of the Third Hokage."

Konohamaru stuck his hand out and shook with Tayuya. His eyes went wide as she smiled, squeezing his hand like a vice. The boy finally jerked his hand away. "Ouch!" He asked, "How do you know her? She's crazy strong, just like Sakura and…."

WHAM!

"Don't compare me to that pink haired bitch! I'll use Genjutsu to show you how it feels to have your skin peeled off in strips you fucking midget!"

She growled, "Understood?"

He nodded frantically. "Yeah ok! Got it! I won't, promise!"

Tayuya released him and turned on Naruto. "Now… I brought all of the kunai I could finish, but you're still better with that seal." She reached into a pouch at her side and pulled out a stack of a dozen kunai, placing it in Naruto's hand.

Naruto sealed them away into his quick use scroll as Konohamaru watched, "What are those for boss?"

Naruto said, "You'll see. They're what's going to make me unstoppable… well mostly."

Tayuya crossed her arms, "Don't get cocky. One stupid ass mistake and they'll be shipping you to the hospital in pieces…Then I'll have to find some way to put you back together so I can beat the shit out of you for dying."

He shrugged, "I know… by the way, are you going to find some way to watch Tayuya-chan?"

Her eyes narrowed, "As much as I'd like to watch you get your ass handed to you, only the Jonin and Kage get to watch this stage. But you better come back to the apartment so I can beat up on you. Besides, I'll be working on my Fuinjutsu while you're gone and I don't want to have to spend a week explaining everything to you."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Yeah… I guess, thanks Tayuya."

She nodded and was about to turn away when Konohamaru asked, "Uh… Naruto? Did she just say that she was living with you?"

Tayuya and Naruto both halted. Naruto glanced at her as she swiveled around to glare at him, "Yeah… and what of it?" She frowned dangerously at Konohamaru, directing killing intent at him in a wave… almost daring him to go further.

He looked between them, sweating, "Well um… are you his girlfriend?"

Naruto prayed that Tayuya wouldn't kill his team mate. Despite the fact that they were technically married, he didn't know how she would react… especially to his young impudent friend. Tayuya's frown disappeared and she smiled.

Konohamaru shivered. She tilted her head, "Yes. That's exactly what I am."

Naruto managed to keep himself from shivering at her icy tone. Then she turned and leaned up on tippy toe, kissing him on the cheek. He went very still as she dropped back down and walked away. Both boys watched her go. After she was out of sight Naruto relaxed and Konohamaru whistled.

"Phew…. Naruto… you sure know how to pick em. I thought she was going to kill you for a second there. And me too!"

Naruto rubbed his cheek as they rapidly turned red. He thought, _"_ _Yeah… me too."_ "Uh huh…. She's kinda scary some times, but she really isn't as strong as Sakura. Her specialty is Genjutsu… and Fuinjutsu." _"_ _And making me feel like I'm losing my grip on reality. Did she really just kiss me?"_

Konohamaru asked, "How did you meet her? Cause.. I've never seen her before."

"Um… That's kinda on a need to know basis ya know…"

A sly grin stretched Konohamaru's face, "Oh… I get it. She only acts mean around other people, but when it's just you two… she gets all…. shy and submissive… right boss. Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.."

Naruto went pale, "No… NO…nonono. If she even suspected that you said that about her she would track you down and use a genjutsu so vicious that you'd begged for death. Then she'd release it and do the same thing in real life. And then she'd hunt down the rest of you clan…. Friends, teachers…. Do you get the picture?!"

The sly grin had long since vanished and Konohamaru nodded. "Right boss, don't mess with your girlfriend, got it boss."

Behind them Tenten asked, "Since when does Naruto have a girlfriend?"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya shook her head, cursing herself. _"_ _Stupid! Why did I kiss Naruto?!"_ The logical answer was that she was playing the girlfriend act… but why had she gone that far? Did she really want to make it clear that they were together? Wouldn't simply saying it have been enough!?

She growled and threw open the door to his apartment before dropping on the floor. She laid there, looking up at the ceiling. _"_ _No… I wanted to get under Naruto's skin, but it looked like he liked it! Asshole!"_ Tayuya gritted her teeth at the thought of Naruto. He was so… impossible. She didn't dare fuck with him more than she did. Anything major was bound to catch the attention of the… other one.

And after the last time… she really didn't want to see that one again. He was a cross between Naruto, Orochimaru, and some red eyed demon. Admitting that she was scared of an alternate personality was pathetic, but no less true. All of her will to fight went out as soon as that oppressive presence filled her senses.

She shivered, the memory of "him" taking the edge off her anger and frustration. If only there was some way to make sure they didn't switch. _"_ _It's even worse because Naruto doesn't remember anything that happens when the other side of him is in control. But the other side knows everything."_

Tayuya sat up quickly as she heard a knock at the door. She stood and moved to it. It opened a second before she reached it. Her breath caught in her throat. It was Danzo….

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto smirked. He couldn't help himself. These guys were clueless. He sat on a branch, some twenty feet off the ground, listening to the ramblings of a squad of Iwa nin… the _last_ squad of Iwa nin. Naruto wanted to clobber them, but he didn't need to. Besides, he wasn't really here to ruin other's chances of becoming Chunin. He was here to be promoted himself… and help the rest of his team manage the same.

He would only attack if these three turned out to have a heaven scroll… the one they needed.

 **Ooo**

"Come on Kurotsuchi! Let's go kill that blond bastard! I swear his clones were marking us down. We could take him out before the third round if we're lucky!"

"Yeah! Come on, He's just one gate over from us. I bet the Tsuchikage would make us Chunin then even if we didn't pass the Exams. Seeing who he is."

The girl of the group eyed them both dangerously, "Don't be stupid. I'm going to kick his ass in the arena, not out in the middle of a forest where no one can see. We just need an Earth scroll and we can advance. I'm at Jonin level anyway. Gramps has been holding me back just for this kind of situation."

She grimaced… "Now shut up before we have to take on those guys from Kiri. I heard they have a Jonin level nin with them too. Some kid who fought in their civil war. I don't want to wear myself out before the preliminaries begin."

"Preliminaries? What are you thinking? There aren't going to be any. You know how tough the teams from the major villages are. There isn't going to be more than five teams finishing."

Kurotsuchi sighed and reached in her pouch, "Listen you idiots, the minor villages sent their best this year and they will be coming after….."

She looked down…" WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"What is it?!"

She pulled out a slip of paper from her pouch. Kurtsuchi's eyes scanned it disbelieving,

 _-Hey! Naruto Uzumaki here, the Prankster king of Konoha… I took the liberty of borrowing (read stealing) your scroll while you weren't paying attention. I know this probably feels pretty bad so I decided to give you something as a thankyou!-_

 _-PS: read the back.-_

 **Ooo**

Naruto smirked again as he heard the satisfying boom of a plan well done. He'd even had time to use his new jutsu… though it didn't work too well. He just got a sense of their chakra levels, which seemed pathetically low.

He now had possession of both scrolls and was heading as fast as he could towards the center of the forest. And for Naruto Uzumaki… as fast as he could was _very_ fast. He blazed past a group of Genin dressed in blue. His hand flashed out, sending three tagged Kunai at them.

He didn't have time to see how they reacted, he just kept going. Naruto's path took him on a straight line through the trees until he heard the sound of combat. _"_ _I wonder how anybody got in this far so quick… Though there might be a team who just charged in as fast as they could."_

Naruto allowed himself to ricochet off a tree and made a sharp right towards the sounds of combat. A second later he was there.

Below him two teams fought tooth and nail. One was from Suna and the other from Taki. Naruto recognized a few of them from the Exam room, but most were complete strangers. _"_ _Should I just be on my way… or should I take these guys out…? Tayuya would just wipe the floor with them… Nah…"_

He retraced his steps and continued on his way. His internal clock telling him that only ten minutes or so had passed. _"_ _Plenty of time to take the new record. Ha! Once I win this time, it'll be impossible to beat my time without Hirashin!"_

 **Ooo**

Kurotsuchi spat blood and picked herself up from the crater where she stood. She glanced at her two team mates. Both of them were out cold… not to mention heavily injured.

"FUCK!" _"_ _A silent bomb tag, attached to the back of the paper… with I.O.U. written below it. Mother fucker is so going to pay."_

She looked down at her companions. Neither of them were going on to the next stage. Normally this would have put them out of the game. Kurotsuchi refused to give up. She would be the winner. There was no fucking doubt about that!

"Naruto Uzumaki… I swear to whoever is listening up there… I will kill you…. slowly…"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Hidan ducked the blade of a Kumo nin, letting it slide over his head as he moved to slash out his opponents belly.

Abruptly he sneezed. "SHIT!" Three lightning covered blades pierced him at the same time. He sighed, exasperated, "I'm immortal damn it! Stop trying to kill me!"

He halted thinking… _"_ _Actually this is great! My destined one has prayed to Jashin-sama once again!"_

 **Ooo**

Tsunade watched the Iwa Kunoichi stand up and spit out a glob of blood before examining the unconscious remains of her squad. The large monitor didn't show her expression and the sound was audible. _"_ _Naruto Uzumaki… I swear to whoever is listening up there… I will kill you…. slowly…"_

She turned to Onoki, "Seems like your Kunoichi are pretty damn tough. I don't see many Shinobi who can survive an explosive tag blowing up in their face these days."

He nodded, "Kurotsuchi is very tough, though she has a tendency to let her emotions rule her actions. I would say that your Shinobi are ridiculously talented, but I'm unsure if it is just an exception. Are all your Genin as talented as the… Uzumaki boy?"

She shook her head, "Not many, but Naruto was trained by Jiraiya. Few can claim to such. And I have no idea where he learned how to use Hirashin. Jiraiya doesn't know it… and he doesn't have access to the scroll of sealing… Even if he did there would be no way for him to get the information. The Fourth's wife, Kushina sealed the information herself. Even I couldn't undo that seal."

The hulking form of A shifted. "Well, I would personally be amazed if he invented his own version of Hirashin at his age. It would be above and beyond even Minato's genius. Even learning it from a scroll seems near impossible."

Tsunade nodded as the flash of Naruto's movement went from one screen to the next without slowing or changing direction. Mei smiled as she watched for the telltale flash. Beside her Ao said, "It seems to me that he has no stomach for battle. Look at how he avoids the other battles. If he were a true Shinobi then he would use his superior skill to thin out the competition."

Mei turned a eye to her second in command, "Ao… shut up… or I _will_ kill you."

"But Lady Mizukage!?"

WHAM!

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Konohamaru stood… feeling rather awkward, with Tenten by his side. The brunet glanced at him asking, "So… what exactly are we waiting for?"

He coughed, "Well, Naruto is going to go all the way to the tower and collect the right scroll on the way. Then he'll teleport back here and grab us...and take us back with him." Konohamaru lifted the strange kunai he held in one hand. "This is supposed to be how he gets back… I think."

Tenten looked uncomfortable, "And how exactly does that work?"

He scratched the back of his head, "I don't know. It's just another one of Naruto's crazy jutsu I guess."

Both of them shouted in surprise as Naruto appeared in front of them holding it. He grinned, "Hey you guys, sorry for the wait, but I ran into a couple fights on the way. Now hold on, I need to include you in the jutsu. Just touching you won't transport you with me."

They nodded as Naruto opened his pouch and took out two small tags. He slapped them on either of their arms. "Now this is going to feel like someone shoved his hand down your throat and tried to pull your stomach out."

"WHAT/WAIT!"

 **Ooo**

Naruto reappeared at the kunai he'd buried in the door in the tower wall. Konohamaru and Tenten lay gasping beside him. He, for his part, stood looking around quickly before stepping forward and opening the door.

Tenten heaved, 'Oh god! That was awful Naruto… does it feel like that every time?!"

He shrugged, "For me no, but the jutsu is designed for one person. Taking someone with me isn't even supposed to work ya know. Anyway, it's not _that_ bad."

Konohamaru struggled to his feet, "Does too!"

"Eh….wimps. Let go already. I can safely say we beat Garra's record." He chuckled, "Then again…. Hirashin _might_ be cheating."

Tenten asked, "That's what your jutsu is called?"

"Yeah. It's kinda a mix of Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu. I want to figure out if I can make a sealless version, but the chakra I'd need to pull it off…. It's hard to imagine."

Hirashin worked on a very simple concept. Using your chakra and manipulating it in such a way to allow you to bend the space around you and at the same time, the space around your destination. Effectively pulling the user through the space inbetween without actually going through it. Incredibly simple and yet of all the jutsu Naruto knew, Hirashin was without a doubt the most exhaustive. The sheer magnitude of chakra required to use it was staggering even for a junchuriki.

And that was why Hirashin was so god damned complicated. Minato Namekaze had somehow worked out a seal which reduced the chakra cost of the jutsu by almost 95%. Naruto honestly had no idea how he'd figured it out, but he was able to copy it…. Sort of. It still took a ton of chakra. Only Jonin with large reserves could use the normal Hirashin,

Naruto bet that only the top three Jinchuriki had the reserved for the sealless version.

Tenten stood and grimaced before stepping up behind him, "Let's go then… I want to lay down after that… ugh…"

He smirked and walked into the tower with his friends behind him.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Hanabi Hyuuga watched Naruto Uzumaki and his fellow team mates walk into the tower, however she wasn't anywhere near them. With her Byakugan, she could see what anyone was doing in a half mile radius around her.

Admittedly she was surprised… if not outright astonished by his jutsu. She'd been watching the tower when she saw the colossal influx of chakra. Then he'd suddenly just… popped into existence. She had no idea how he'd done it. It looked like he'd somehow bent the fabric of the universe around himself. But that was impossible. Even though he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, he didn't have enough chakra or skill to pull that off…. So how?

Beside her a harsh whisper sounded, "Hey Hanabi? What do you see? Anyone we can take out quick?"

She shook her head, "Naruto-san, Tenten-san, and Konohamaru-kun just entered the tower."

"Huh!? That's impossible. How did they manage that?"

Hanabi glanced back at him, "No clue, but it doesn't matter. I might be able to take out Konohamaru or Tenten, but Naruto was trained by a Sannin for two years. I don't think all three of us could defeat him. I remember Neji told me that he went toe to toe with one of the Seven swordsmen of the mist and won… And that was before he left with the Toad Sage."

Her teammate's eyes were wide, "Then why is he still a Genin?!"

She shrugged, "Just a formality I guess. He could be at Jonin level. Who knows."

From behind both of them a boy asked, "He took on one of the Seven huh? Well that is interesting. Hey Chojuro… we never found a few of the swords after the war ended. You think there's a chance that this Naruto guy has one?"

Hanabi and the rest of her squad whirled around.

Three figures stood before them. Two were around fourteen, but there was also a young man who looked to be around eighteen. All three wore blue cameo and the older one had a Kiri head band prominently displayed. In his hand was a large.. double bladed sword. Both ends were exotic, having the shape of a flounder fish… And they were covered in bandage like wrappings.

Hanabi reactivated her Byakugan and took an involuntary step back. She hissed, "Watch out, the middle one has Jonin level reserves and that weapon… it's strange. Almost like it's a chakra blade."

Two of the three Kiri ninja chuckled. The middle one nodded, smiling hesitantly, "It's called Hiramekarei. It's one of the seven legendary swords from the Hidden Mist. I am one of the seven swordsmen. My name is Chojuro. Who are you?"

"I'm Hanabi Hyuuga, second heir to the Hyuuga clan."

The two Kiri Genin looked nervous at that. Neither of them were sure how they would do against someone who could disable chakra points. Even Chojuro stiffened. A skilled Hyuuga could defeat almost anyone with their Gentle Fist. He should know. Ao complained often enough about his first and last battle with a Hyuuga.

Chojuro asked, "What kind of scroll do you have. I don't wish to fight if it serves no purpose."

Hanabi was surprised by that… even more surprised than his claim to be a swordsman of the Mist's Legendary seven. She was puzzled because his chakra showed that he was truthful… She straightened as her eyes showed a heaven scroll in their possession. "We have a Heaven Scroll. What kind do you have?"

One of the Genin relaxed, "Well… that's the same kind we got…. At least we aren't wasting energy before we get the one we need."

Chojuro smiled easily, "Good, I didn't want to hurt you." He sheathed Hiramekarei. "I'll see you in the next round I guess."

She nodded to him.

A few moments later they were gone. "That was close. I'm glad you lied about what kind of scroll we had"

Hanabi deactivated her Byakugan and relaxed slightly, "Yeah, it was a close one. I don't want to fight a Jonin level opponent, no matter how much of an advantage I have."

"WELL THAT'S A DAMN SHAME!"

They looked up as a blast of lava slammed down among them. On the other side of the clearing A girl…. covered from head to toe in burns, was making rapid hansigns. Her pink eyes furious, "FIRE RELEASE: BONE PHOENIX!"

Hanabi activated her eyes once more as she dodged out of the way of the first attack. Her gaze fell on her opponent even as her jutsu was finished. Fear clutched at her heart as she saw the blue chakra pouring out of her enemy. It formed into a great skeletal shape, shrieking like an enormous bird. Then it dived forward with the force if ten Grand Fireballs.

The explosion sent her flying. She did the only thing she could to save herself and performed rotation in mid air.

 ** _BOOM!_**

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

There were few rewards in this world that Naruto would have expected to receive upon completing the Second stage of the Chunin exams. However when he had rolled both the scrolls out along side each other the plume of smoke had erupted and then… faded.

And what they saw would be burned into their minds for the rest of their lives. Kakashi stood there hunched over as if he had just been leaning on a table of some kind. His white gravity defying hair was even more messy than usual, but that surprise didn't hold a candle to the rest of it.

Kakashi, the legendary copy ninja stood… revealed. In one hand he held a mirror… in the other a straight razor. And on his face….. nothing. Well. Almost nothing. There was a layer of white shaving foam that covered what his mask usually hid.

Kakashi's eye was as wide as a dinner plate and Naruto's matched. His jaw dropped.

Naruto's eyes, along with Tenten's and Konohamaru's.. locked on Kakashi's. All of them knew the enormity of the situation. They had caught the jonin… with his masks down. As if through telepathy, all three Genin knew what each other was thinking. They had an obligation… to themselves, the village, to the Shinobi world, and to the Kami himeslf… to find out… what was under… that foam, to see what had been hidden from them for sooooo long.

And like that everyone was in motion, Naruto brought his hands together, making twenty clones. Konohamaru and Tenten lunged for him, and Kakashi burst into action. He leaped upward, bringing his own hands together in the same jutsu as Naruto. Kakashi's clones few to intercept Naruto's. But Tenten had her own strategy. Relying on the clone's distraction, she threw dozens of shuriken and taking out nearly half of Kakashi's forces.

Then the orange met black as Naruto's clones fought Kakashi's two on one. And they were winning. The Copy ninja's copies fought out of wild desperation, knowing that they too wore the same concealing layer of cream. If even one was caught he would be discovered. But they were drastically outnumbered and from behind, Konohamaru came, hands flying wildly through the motions for phoenix flower jutsu.

Kakashi twisted in mid air, slaying an orange clad attacker with a deft slash of his kunai. His Sharingan was wide open now as he pulled out all the stops.

"PHOENIX FLOWER JUTSU!"

Bright yellow balls of fire spewed from Konohamaru's mouth, blasting through the clones even as they fought. Kakashi was forced to take more evasive maneuvers. He took a trick out of Naruto's book, creating a clone out of thin air and leaping off it's back to vault to the floor.

As his clone was incinerated Kakashi dashed to the exit. If only he could get out of there, his secret would be safe!

"RASENGAN SHOCKWAVE!"

Naruto slammed his hand into the ground, the powerful wind style jutsu hurled everything around him back and would have sheared through everyone's legs had they not leapt in the air. Kakashi dropped down with Tenten and Konohamaru, the former already activating her scroll again.

The mass popping of Shadow clones filled the room even as the weapons mistress sent two demon wind shuriken straight at the Jonin. Kakashi intercepted one while dodging the other completely. He spun in place and sent it into the mass of clones.

Then he was running rapidly through his own jutsu. His eyes wide and sweat dripping down his face, starting to make tracks in the shaving cream. A second later he completed his jutsu. At the exact moment dozens of serrated kunai flew from Naruto's smoke could like a horizontal rain of blades.

A huge barrier of earth rose between him and the oncoming wall of death. He heard the mass sound of blades sinking into earth just as he flung himself to the ground to avoid several dozen fuma shuriken and a hail of kunai from Tenten.

The kunoichi spun and released her next attack just as Konohamaru succeeded in making it to the opposite side of the chamber.

Kakashi was trapped. Shuriken chain net on one side and Majestic Fireball on the other. His Sharingan's pupil contracted as it caught the glint of several wind enhanced kunai piercing the wall in front of him. He had no choice. He leapt up again.

The triple threat below him erupted in chaos. The wind enhanced kunai ripped through first and were followed by a great blade of wind. It ripped the earth wall in half and then met the fireball. The shuriken chain was shattered, broken into its individual links while the blade of wind and fireball exploded backwards. Heat caused the back wall of the chamber to melt as Naruto's powerful wind chakra turned the medium sized fireball into a raging inferno.

Kakashi hit the ceiling just in the nick of time to dodge Naruto's ax kick. He ducked, bringing his hand around to grab the limb, but Naruto was already twisting his body in mid air, in a near impossible feat of flexibility he bent over backwards to slash at Kakashi's feet. Kakashi couldn't move back without letting go of Naruto, since he had managed to secure himself to the ceiling with a hand. But he couldn't leap over the attack without losing contact with the ceiling and falling.

He hurriedly let go of Naruto and just barely had the time to dodge a second lightning fast attack as it sheared past his face. Kakashi lashed out, delivering a solid blow to thin air as Naruto…. Somehow leapt over the strike… tumbling through the air to come back (up) and land on the ceiling behind him.

From a sensei's point of view this was quite the achievement. He rarely saw Shinobi who were able to defy the laws of physics… in a world where there were few (if any) to begin with. However Naruto's impossible acrobatics had momentarily distracted him from the fact that this was a three on one fight. Konohamaru and Tenten weren't idle.

He realized he was in serious trouble the moment the ground trembled. Across the hall Konohamaru had just erected an Earth wall as well… except it went from floor to ceiling. Kakashi couldn't afford to blink in surprise. Naruto was on the offensive again, delivering a bewildering series of blows at stuttered laser speed.

Kakashi took four hits before he realized Naruto was too fast for melee combat. He let his chakra leave his feet and fell back towards the floor. Naruto in hot pursuit.

They landed with Kakashi already surrounded by Naruto and four clones. Kakashi went pale with the realization that he had only two options left. He went with option two, hoping that he would have enough chakra for option one if it didn't work.

Lightning crackled as Kakashi used his newest technique. "CHIDORI PULSE!"

Naruto was flung backwards by a wave of electricity, his clones popping all at once. His nerves were on fire after the hard shock, but it wasn't anywhere near strong enough to knock him out…. or even send him to the floor. He landed on his feet, already twisting around and using the momentum to fling his kunai at Kakashi. He smirked as the Jonin grabbed the kunai out of the air and used it to deflect several shuriken, coming at him from both sides of the hall.

Kakashi was taken completely by surprise as Naruto appeared out of thin air, his hand suddenly around the hilt of the kunai. And, more importantly, his knee in Kakashi's gut. He took a short trip across the room to slam into the opposite wall. Naruto was already flashing through his own handsigns. Kakashi grunted in preparation to use the tunneling jutsu.

Then he felt his clothing tighten in several places around him. And as he attempted to move he heard a whistling sound. He caught sight of the net a split second before the kunai tipped edges imbedded themselves in the wall around him…. pinning him. He twisted, but couldn't pull free.

Naruto's face was somehow managed to perfectly mix absolute glee with grim determination. From the pouch at his side he drew an exotic pronged kunai.

Tenten and Konohamaru appeared beside him and grabbed his head, holding him perfectly still. Naruto approached, raising the blade as if in preparation to sacrifice him to some heathen god.

Then the chanting started. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Konohamaru was chanting, Tenten was chanting. And Naruto drew closer, the kunai raised high!

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Three people watched a large flat screen TV, their eyes unblinking, their gazes locked on Kakashi's face as the edge of the kunai glinted in the light. One had long spiky blond hair while the other had even longer red hair the color of blood. A third figure , diminutive between them leaned in, her brown eyes so wide that they took up half her face. Both her small hands cupped her mouth, covering two blue marks on either side of her face.

The kunai dipped down, millimeters from his cheek….

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Five Kage leaned forward at the same time, their own eyes trained on the small observation screen, the anticipation so great that Ao could see it with his Byakugan. He glanced around him unnerved as the air started to vibrate. The ground at his feet seemed to be dissolving into sand while the air filled with static electricity. Ao frantically tried to avoid the ever increasing tendrils of corrosive mist that were appearing out of thin air.

The kunai touched Kakashi's cheek as the blond Jinchuriki hesitated for one timeless second

Five simultaneous breaths were drawn in, filling lungs to absolute capacity. Then….

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **OH….SHIT! Am I evil or what?**

 **Yes I am the overlord, the great and magnificent incarnation of utter darkness and this is your cliffhanger.**

 **You may hate me now, but really you have no idea how hard I laughed writing this part… and how much trouble I had breathing when I decided to post this in two parts. Consider this revenge for all of you guys who have stories that** ** _I_** **read and end in cliff hangers.**

 **-sigh- and it's so much more satisfying when it ends on a comedic scene.**

 **Now remember everyone. If you want that fast update… you have a lot of incentive to answer that review question… kukukuku….**


	7. Chapter 6 - Inferno

**So here is the new chapter. Hehe…. I know I spoiled the moment but oh well, some of you guys deserved it. You know who I'm talking about. You people who have your own stories ending in cliffhangers. Now I admit not many end like this. But it is my prerogative as a writer to occasional mess with your heads. And if the way I do that is by ending the chapter on a reveal to possibly the second biggest mystery in all of Naruto… well, that's how it goes.**

 **If it was that bad sue me…. Actually on second thought don't do that. If it came down to a judge and jury… and there was the possibility that some of the jury members or the judge watched Naruto they would understand the significance…. And then they might force me to pay up, setting a president for emotional stress caused by anime…. This would lead to a rash of anime related conflicts around America, sending the entire world into a downward spiral eventually ending in mutually assured nuclear destruction…..**

 **As I was saying… I couldn't help myself and if it comes down to it, I clam insanity.**

 **Now you're all probably biting at the bit to read the confirmation of the sum of all fears! But alas there is still a question to answer. And it isn't how Naruto failed to notice that clones gave momory feedback through the majority of the anime series. I mean he's dense as diamond but he isn't that dense.**

 **Q: Will the end to the exams be bright and pure as a Hyuuga's panties (you know who's I'm talking about) Or… will it be as inky black as the inside of Orochimaru's soul. (kukukuku…)**

 **And the answer? Light grey. Most people wanted a light ending, but quite a few also asked for moderately dark. Oh well, there will still be blood and death before the end.**

 **(And when I say light grey that just means that the gruesome end to the exams won't kill more than twelve people)**

 **((I don't own any part of Naruto))**

 **Ooo**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 **Ooo**

The blade was brought down swiftly, removing the foam in one fell swoop and revealing to all in this world… and the next…..

A single,…bright red… kiss mark.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Somewhere in the pure world there was a collective gasp as several hundred ascended souls gaped at the sight. The two adult figures closest to the screen both smirked at the same time. The girl between them burst into tears

 _"_ _KAKASHI…..!"_

A ripple spread to the very back of the crowd. Three others stood there. One was an old man with keen eyes and a long pipe clutched between his teeth. He scratched at the age spots on the side of his face before turning to the last member of the group… who happened to be laughing hysterically. He wore traditional red armor and his brown hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Hashirama-sama… did you know of this?"

The First Hokage wiped at the tears streaming from his eyes before continuing to laugh his head off. To his right Tobirama rolled his eyes.

"Don't bother. He's always like this when he wins a bet. Except this time it's the third largest betting pool in the pure world."

Hiruzen glanced back at the flatscreen even as the kuani descended again.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto cut cleanly down the other side of Kakashi's face… to reveal a second crimson mark. Kakashi hung there as Naruto finished removing all the shave cream. His task complete, Naruto stepped back. Kakashi looked up at him with a dejected air.

"So… you did it. Happy now?"

Naruto blinked once… then again. He'd never actually seen Kakashi speak. Literally, he had not seen his sensei's lips move… in his entire life. Tenten and Konohamaru had similar reactions. As they stood there slack jawed, the son of White Fang sighed, letting his head droop.

Konohamaru scratched the back of his head. "Well that was kinda anticlimactic. Was anyone else expecting something…different?"

Tenten nodded, "Yeah.. like scars or some birth defect. Maybe even some really awful tattoo. But two red kiss marks? I mean, we made all the effort for this? Lame…."

Naruto agreed and replaced his kunai. "So… sensei, anything you want to tell us?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "The love child of Anko and Ibiki couldn't tear the story from me. I'm taking it with me to the grave brats." Naruto saw the determination in his eyes and decided to give up right there. He shrugged and leaned forward to cut the net as Konohamaru collected the kunai.

Once Kakashi was free the Jonin bit his thumb and made a few handsigns. Then he slammed his palm on the ground. In a poof of smoke one of his summoning hounds sat there. He was giving Kakashi a bored/exasperated look as was usual.

This expression changed to shock, the dog's eyes flying open wide. "KAKASHI?!"

"I know, shut up Pakun!" He hurriedly grabbed the dog and relieved him of his small scarf. Kakashi then wrapped that around the lower portion of his face, still attempting to salvage some of his dignity. Tenten was giggling at Kakashi's vain effort's as Konohamaru handed Naruto his kunai.

After a few moments the four of them stood without saying anything. Eventually Kakashi asked, "I don't suppose….."

"HELL NO!" Three voices echoed in the defeated man's ears.

"Ok… well….."

Kakashi pushed his hands in his pockets as he dispelled Pakun. "Naruto… Tenten…. Konohamaru. All three of you pass the second stage of the Chunin Exams. You will wait here in the tower until all other teams have either passed or failed. Then as with last year, if there are enough finishers, there will be a preliminary tournament. I suggest you three rest."

He eyed Naruto. "Or train if you're a certain insufferable brat."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sure sensei. Go blaming me for it. Not my fault you're so lazy. Maybe if you decided to shave at a halfway decent time then you wouldn't have been caught when we finished early."

Kakashi glared at him as he pulled down his eye patch and shun-shined away. Naruto glanced around the large chamber. It was… destroyed for lack of a better word… Actually scratch that. There was a word that fitted the carnage much better and that word was _pulverized_.

He asked his teammates, "Uh. Do you guys think we should clean up or find some way to get a picture… cause I kinda want to remember this moment. I mean… lame reveal or not, we caught sensei with his mask down. And we managed to see what's under it. No one else has ever done that."

Tenten shrugged, "I'm not cleaning this place up. I don't know any earth jutsu. You two can take care of that particular problem if you want. I'm going inside to sleep. I think if my last Exam is anything to go by, we're going to get stuck waiting the entire time."

Naruto pulled made the ram seal and a dozen clones appeared. He tasked them to do their best to clean up the area. Then he made his way with Tenten and Konohamaru through the door at the far end of the hall. It opened easily but creaked with disuse. That was easy enough to understand. After all this tower probably was only used once every six months or so.

Beyond that door was a long corridor that went right. Three other doors could be seen as they walked down the only available path. After a half a minute of walking they turned into a massive room. It was one that Naruto remembered very well. With a towering ceiling of grey stone, this was the small arena where the preliminary matches took place.

It looked just the same as it had more than two years ago. A sense of nostalgia washed over him. He glanced at Tenten who had shivered upon entering. "Something wrong Tenten-chan?"

She shuddered again saying, "I've been here four times. The first time was when Temari broke my spine in three places. The second was a few months later where I was impaled by a Grass nin who was a little too good at Kenjutsu. The third time I lost to a Yamanaka boy from the branch clan. And… last time I was matched up against Hinata….."

Naruto looked at her worriedly. "I take it Hinata-chan took you down pretty hard…"

"You can say that again. She hit me with that improved version of the Sixty-four palms technique. You know… the one that Negi told you about when we saw you again. The first Sixty-four strikes disabled all my chakra. The next One hundred and twenty-eight was overkill. They had a hard time just keeping chakra in me long enough to heal my organs." She was slightly pale now after recounting that.

Naruto didn't blame her. He had personally felt the second most powerful gentle fist technique known. He would rather let Tsunade use him as a punching bag than go through that again. Naruto asked Konohamaru, "So…. Just how good is Hanabi gotten?"

Konohamaru acquired what Naruto would have considered a 'dreamy' expression. "Well… she's been working nonstop ever since you left to train. Hinata really amped up her attempts to get more powerful after you left and Hanabi did the same."

A sudden flash of memory made him wince. "She invented her own style with help from Neji and Hinata. I've only seen her use it once."

"Let me guess, it was on you?"

He nodded, "Uh huh. All she did was assume the stance and then dash in front of me. She hit out at me and I dodged, but somehow when her fist went past my head… all the chakra points on the left side of my face and in my shoulder went out."

Naruto's eyes widened, "She's figured out how to turn chakra points off without actually touching them? Holy shit….. I don't even think Hiashi could do that."

Tenten didn't seem to take the news too well. She knew she had a severe disadvantage against most Shinobi. She was a jack of all trades…. But only one range. She was skilled with the use of every kind of weapon, but her great variety had cost her the rank of Chunin four times. She was beginning to think that her current skill set simply wouldn't cut it.

Hanabi had initially just been a side thought for Naruto, but if she had become as formidable at Konohamaru claimed… he would need to be cautious. He couldn't use more than a fraction of the Kyuubi's chakra even in an emergency. So he wouldn't be able to rejuvenate his chakra network like he'd done against Neji. So he would need to be cautious. Hanabi could be every bit as dangerous as Neji… and more because he knew she didn't suffer from AP. (Arrogant Prickism) She wouldn't let pride get in the way while she fought.

Of course if he used all of his abilities then she would be out flat before the match could start, but he didn't want to reveal his best moves until he had an audience. Call it what you will, however he planned on winning spectacularly. Even if he had to do some serious explaining, he would victorious.

Tenten said, "Hey. It says that there our room is this way. Let's rest up."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah. I think we've got a good hour or so before anyone shows up. I'm going to train with my secret techniques while there isn't anyone around."

She rolled her eyes, "Suit yourself."

"See ya big bro!"

Naruto waved them off before he strode to the center of the large room. He would work on using his new technique from the Fourth Hokage.

He closed his eyes and calmed himself, much like Pervy Sage had once taught him. It felt the same as when he tried to sense the natural chakra around him. Or at least that's what Jiraiya said. Apparently it took vast amounts of time to do it correctly. However… if he turned that same focus inward…

Naruto allowed himself to delve deep inside his core. A second later he felt it. The raging maelstrom of his chakra. It was an ever expanding tide that circulated through him, giving him the power to do everything extraordinary he did. This core he felt was supposed to be one of the Eight gates that Lee and Guy sensei used in their more difficult battles. And the technique was effectively a bypass of what the two green beasts did.

However… this wasn't for everyone. Under normal circumstances it would take thirty seconds to activate the ability without handsigns. He didn't know the right ones to use since they weren't recorded in the Namekaze clan scroll. He assumed that the Fourth had come up with the proper seals to use after as a way to speed up the process. As it was now, thirty seconds were required to use it.

However you could 'force' the technique. The downside was, the faster you did it the most strain it put on your chakra coils. Doing it instantly was possible… and with the massive healing factor of the Uzumaki + Kyuubi, he would probably survive the after effects. But he wouldn't be very happy after wards. So far the quickest he could do it was eleven seconds. Eleven seconds in which he had to keep utterly still. If he so much as twitched he'd have to start over.

 _"_ _But that's more than worth it considering what it allows me to do. Normally I get one shadow clone with a set amount of chakra. But with this I can make my chakra much denser for a short amount of time. So I get more like two and a half clones for the same chakra."_ He'd used it for his demonstration for Tsunade and the Mizukage.

He thought about it for a moment. _"_ _That jutsu should have a cool name. I've named most of my Raengan variants, but few of my others. I could call that one…."_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Hanabi dragged her leg across the ground she limped along. The damage to the limb could easily be repaired. Her Byakugan told her that the only thing wrong was a severed ligament. They had a medical nin on their team. But he was unconscious.

Fortunately… thank kami, she'd managed to trick that Iwa girl into falling for her new technique. The look on her face had been priceless. And of course she'd nicked the scroll form her pouch as Kurotsuchi sailed through the forest at speed. She hadn't been fast enough to avoid the kunai that had cut past her leg though. It was a bitch to move, but she needed to wake her lazy ass partner _before_ anything could be done about her injury.

She glanced angrily at the final member of the team. He was horribly burned. That Kunoichi had Lava Release and could mold the lava into makeshift kunai. The results were deadly. Sharp at first they pierced the flesh and severed arteries and muscles, instantly cauterizing them as it did so. Then it would melt into a pile of molten rock… A pile of molten rock which might have the misfortune of being inside you.

Her last teammate would survive to the next round… but he wouldn't be participating in the third stage of the Exams. That was for sure. She wasn't even sure she could participate in her condition. If her stupid medic of a friend didn't have enough chakra to heal her, they were screwed.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Kurotsuchi wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Ever since that Hyuuga girl had grazed her face with that gentle fist technique she hadn't been able to control the muscles on one side. She was just glad that she still had both arms.

If a Genin had taken her down… she couldn't imagine the kind of hell her sensei and Grandfather would give her. A Jonin level Shinobi… taken down by a Genin? Ridiculous.

She growled at her two companions who lay across from her. It had been stupid… completely stupid. And she was kicking herself even now. In the rush of anger that she had towards the Namekaze boy… she'd forgotten one of the cardinal rules in Leaf village Exams. The Leaf prized teamwork above all else. And she'd just abandoned her two teammates. If she had gotten too far ahead then she would have lost by default.

"Stupid fucking rules. If it wasn't for me having to lug the two of you around I would have found some weak Genin to snatch a scroll from. But no… you two had to be unconscious. So I was forced to come back and wake you up. And even then neither of you can move around!"

The youngest member of the team rubbed at his charred skin. "Easy for you to say. You actually had enough chakra to save yourself from injury. We didn't even have a warning. Considering how powerful that thing was I'm amazed we aren't missing pieces."

She glared, "True…" It was true. The explosive tag had done quite a lot of damage, but it didn't even turn two clueless Genin into smears on the forest floor. Either the seal had been defective, they were extremely lucky, or Naruto Namekaze was a wimp. Someone who couldn't harm another for fear of going against their values.

 _"_ _Pathetic. To think that the son of out greatest enemy is a pushover. I thought he was so tough back at the office. And he took out two of our Genin with no problem then… but he must have been bluffing. No one leaves loose ends like that."_

She stood and said, "I'm going to get us our scrolls. Stay hidden until I get back. Understood?"

"Yes," they both echoed.

Kurotsuchi stalked out into the forest of death, hoping to come across a nice easy team of losers from one of the out of the way villages. Some little kids that she could glue down with ease. Then at least she could vent some of her frustration…. before she neutered that damn blond.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya sat in Naruto's apartment. It was 11:30 at night. She felt like someone had beaten every inch of her with a lead pipe and then forced her to do three laps around the village with nothing but her hands.

A flash of green through her mind caused an instant migraine to set in. She hurriedly exorcized the unpleasant image. She didn't want to think about the color green. She hated trees, which meant that the color green was now included among the things she hated. It was bad enough that she was stuck in a village slap dab in the middle of the biggest forest in the Elemental nations. But the fact that she was now afraid to leave the apartment…made it even worse.

She shivered again as she finished the third to last seal out of three hundred. Her mind flashed back to Danzo's "visit" if it could be called such a thing. Tayuya was going into full paranoid mode now. No one would enter the apartment without her knowing. And not a kami damned soul was coming within ten meters of the exterior without her knowing who exactly was there. The only one who could circumvent the intricate weave of seals would be Naruto with his Hirashin.

She didn't want to admit it, but she really…. really wanted Naruto to be back already. Regardless of how much she disliked him sometimes… he genuinely wanted to protect her, at least to a certain point. And he was an OP bastard too, so there was always that. She was fairly sure that he could blast Danzo into oblivion if he showed up again.

"Maybe I should tell him about Danzo this time. I'm sure he'd raise hell about it."

Two red headed clones stared back at her. She snapped out of her semi-trance and growled, "Well?! What the hell are you waiting for? Finish so I can get a decent night's sleep!"

They nodded and continued their work. Tayuya fell back onto her bed. Her confrontation with the mysterious man had chilled her. She knew now… as if there had been any doubt before, that he was a man completely driven by vengeance. For what? She had no idea, but there was something that made him tic and it wasn't the same as Naruto.

Danzo did not live off ramen and daydreams.

When he walked in he had been curious. And that was something she knew instinctively was bad. Danzo was a lot like Orochimaru in that way. His curiosity was _never_ something you wanted to invoke. He'd asked her what she was doing… For obvious reasons she had stayed silent. It wasn't as if anyone but Naruto could understand her scribbling and even he needed help.

Danzo would be lost as a rat in an endless maze. But he'd given up on learning what kind of Fuinjutsu she was doing. Instead he'd told her… that he was displeased.

Apparently someone was watching her and Naruto at all times. Whenever they interacted there was someone there observing. She personally thought that was bullshit. No one could keep up with Naruto's Hirashin. Even the Raikage's infamous speed was like a snail in comparison.

She didn't explain this to Danzo either. She waited and listened. Danzo apparently hadn't seen everything they were doing. She suspected that there were rather large gaps in his info due to the fact that she kept the windows and drapes closed. But…he knew enough for her to realize she needed to take precautions.

Though… that wasn't the part of his visit that had managed to scare the shit out of her and at the same time piss her off. He had criticized her… HER! For not seducing Naruto quickly enough! She'd been speechless. Did this scar faced bastard think she was going to lay a finger on Naruto when she wasn't forced to? Sure she'd kissed him, but that was to get the message across that she was his girlfriend… and to a lesser extent, give him a nightmare or two.

But still! She wasn't his lackey. She was a Kunoichi who had married that idiot blond for immunity. _'_ _And damn it if I'm not going to use it. No one manipulates me into this situation and grants me freedom, only to go behind everyone's back and pretend like it never happened. That decides it. I'm fucking telling Naruto about that ass. If his reaction to me being injured was anything to go by, he'll tear that bitch a new one."_

Tayuya paused after making that mental decision. Was it really a good idea? He was a self-righteous powerhouse, but would he deliberately cause Danzo problems on her behalf? _"_ _I guess this will kill two birds with one stone."_

If he did stick it to Danzo then it proved that he would act as her guardian no matter what. Even if she didn't necessarily like him… it would be good to know that she was safe. _"_ _I suppose having the Ninetails Jinchuriki as my husband might not be… that bad._

 _"_ _Shit… did I just think that?"_

 _"_ _Fuck!?"_

 **Ooo**

 **Oooooo**

 **Ooo**

Tsunade Senju stood with four individuals directly behind her. This situation was slightly unprecedented. She had herself, a member of the Sannin, the Raikage, the Tsuchikage, the Mizukage, _and_ the Kazekage. All under one roof. And it wasn't even a political meeting. It was more like a calculated chess game where the pieces moved themselves.

She warranted the most attention. But that was simple as she was the only one with two teams in the preliminaries. One rookie team led by Hanabi Hyuuga. And one mixed team led by Naruto. Also in attendance was a team from each of the major villages… besides Suna. None of the Suna teams had made it this far.

From what they had observed during the Second Test, the downfall of the three Suna teams could be traced to two people. Kurotsuchi, who stood tall and proud with her rather disheveled looking team. And Chojuro from Kiri, who's team looked almost completely unharmed. That amazed her almost as much as seeing Kurotsuchi's team there. She really was a hard nut to crack.

So out of the bunch only one minor village had gotten a team through. It was Taki, but they were roughed up pretty badly. She wouldn't have bet a single yen on their chances to advance. But other than that, the team from Kumo looked in very good condition… save for what appeared to be a broken jaw on one young man.

Tsunade put off examining the teams and turned her attention to the hall at large. She told speeches… yeah, a ton of them, but there really wasn't any need. Only the Jonin gathered and her fellow Kages were here to listen…. besides the Genin. But they would understand her lack of fanfare.

She put her hands on her hips and spoke, enhancing her voice with chakra, "I am Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Hokage! This year the Chunin Exams have produced five teams eligible for the Third test! However, we must narrow down the playing field before the final round. All of your names will be drawn at random from the rest of your competitors. The only exception is that you will not be fighting anyone from your own team. NOW BEGIN!"

Without taking her eyes of the Genin she motioned to a Jonin standing off to the side. The man stepped forward. His eyes were hard and the improbably color of orange. Naruto probably would have liked the guy were it not for his unpleasant expression. Something between bored, grinning, and a snarl.

Several Genin automatically listed the man under the "clinically insane" category in their mental register of Shinobi.

He spoke with a loud barking voice, "All right you kids. You're names are being chosen as we speak. All save the two called will remove themselves to the balcony!"

As he finished speaking they saw the black screen in the corner of the room stop.

 **Uzumaki Naruto/ Konoha-VS-Hara Mutsu/Iwa**

Naruto grinned, "Well…. That was quick. At least I don't have to wait around this time."

Konohamaru patted him on the back, "Take him down big bro. Try not to obliterate him though…."

"Will do Konohamaru."

After a few moments the two of them were alone with the proctor. "All right you two. Here are the rules... There are **_no_** rules save two. First is that you do **** ** _anything_** you can to win. And second, I can stop the match at **_anytime_** and declare a winner."

"Are those understood?"

They both nodded. Naruto grinned wider, "Sure thing."

The proctor stepped back. "You may begin whenever you're ready."

The Iwa boy took a fighting stance that Naruto didn't recognize. Naruto wasn't particularly bothered. He had fifty different ways he could win in a single move. And that wasn't even being clever. Instead of taking his own stance he glanced around the room. On the balconies there were about two dozen Jonin. Only a few of them were actually with these teams.. but Naruto caught sight of Yugito and B in one corner.

Yugito winked at him surreptitiously as he rolled his eyes. He turned back to see anyone else he recognized. Sure there was Garra, but he'd get in trouble if he talked directly to the Kazekage like this. Other than that he recognized many of the Jonin, having pranked most if not all of the Leaf village's forces at one time or another.

His grin widened even more at the thought of a few more… colorful pranks.

"Hey blondy! Are you gonna fight me or just gaze around stupidly like that?"

Naruto focused on Mutsu. He was tall for his age, with scruffy brown hair. He wore the usual Genin garb from Iwa. Lots of maroon and yellows. He had a katana over one shoulder so Naruto assumed he was competent at kenjutsu.

Competent for a Genin that is. He'd sparred with B one on one. And B was most certainly not a Genin. He was a highly trained Jonin and a Jinchuriki to boot. Naruto didn't fool himself to think he could take on B in a serious fight, but a Genin was just pitiful.

Naruto sighed and scratched his chin, "Yeah… I'm not really that worried about you. Sorry, but I'd be more scared of you if you didn't fall for that Explosive tag trick so easy."

"You asshole! You just snuck up and grabbed the scroll! You didn't even fight!"

One blond eyebrow arched, "Ya know, shouting it out like that just makes you look stupid. Sometimes you shouldn't brag when someone gets the better of you."

Mutsu sneered, "Oh yeah… because you Konoha idiots are SO much more superior to us from Iwa."

Naruto felt irritation building. He didn't even want to fight this guy. He was a joke. It was like sending Tsunade into the ring with a Genin version of Sakura. And he was annoying too boot. He sounded just as arrogant as Neji back in his first Exam.

"I never said anything about villages. One village is as good as another as far as I'm concerned. What I meant was that I was better than you and your _bragging_ only makes me look better."

Mutsu glared hatefully at him as chuckling broke out in the room, a few Jonin covering their mouths to prevent noise from escaping. Naruto heard a snort from the figure of Mei, the Mizukage. She muttered, "Kid's got guts, just standing there like nothing could possibly go wrong. Even if he is stronger he's being careless. More than one superior ninja has been killed because he or she thought themselves invulnerable."

Beside her Garra said silently, "Naruto defeated me in tail beast state as a Genin more than three years ago. I think that he has nothing to worry about. That boy has no chance of harming him."

Naruto heard Garra's words and tilted his head towards the Kage's seats. "You should listen to them ya know. I don't like hurting people for no reason. Beating the crap out of you doesn't make me feel any better."

Mutsu spat, "You sound like that retard of a Shinobi you call the Fourth Hokage! Just some overpowered idiot who didn't know what hit him when he died!"

There was silence in the room, complete silence.

Naruto broke the silence with a loud pop as he twisted his head to the side. And then to the other. A good half of the adults in the room who remembered a certain red head sucked in their breath. That included Tsunade and Mei, who had clenched their teeth at his words.

Mutsu smiled, "Oh… looks like I hit a nerve didn't I? Is he someone you look up to? You know, I bet he is. You probably don't even kno….

"Shut the fuck up. Don't you dare criticize someone for protecting their home. I don't think the Fourth is a hero for what he did. He was doing his duty to the village, protecting us from you. People die during war. No one seems to understand that. And if a third of your army was wiped out by one guy, that just means he was a lot better than you at his job."

Naruto leveled a glare on Mutsu. "So don't insult Lord Fourth, or I'll keep my promise and shove a Rasengan up your ass."

From up on the balcony, Konohamaru shouted, "Do it big bro! Show that sleaze ball what it means to be a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf!"

Naruto didn't respond. He said to Mutsu, "Pick a number between one and fifty."

"Huh? What kind of stupid ass question is that?"

He shrugged, "It will tell me how I should destroy you"

Mutsu sneered, "Oh…well that's just amazing. You telling me that you have fifty different strategies for winning against me? Fuck that. Let's just fight so I can kick your ass and prove how pathetic you village is."

Naruto closed his eyes. _"_ _My patience is really running out with this guy. If he keeps insulting my home I am going to tear him a new one."_

His eyes snapped open as he felt the skir of air heralding a strike. Naruto twisted to the side, easily dodging Mutsu's punch. Mutsu realized that Naruto had moved a split second later and was already readjusting to spin kick him in the gut.

Naruto dodged that too, his body automatically adjusting its self to be only just fast enough to dodge everything Mutsu threw at him. His opponent dashed in throwing a hard left cross to Naruto's face. He pulled back a few centimeters, blow sailing past him. He kept his eyes on Mutsu's. Usually that wasn't a good idea in a fight. Looking into someone's eyes was pointless. The rest of the body was where the movement started. However, Mutsu was far below his level in Taijutsu. Naruto could go full on against Jiraiya and do fairly well…. As long as the old man didn't use any Ninjutsu or Fuinjutsu.

A snap kick sailed past him as he turned on his heel, bringing his own leg around in a roundhouse that blasted Mutsu halfway across the room, tumbling heels over head.

Naruto dropped the leg. He'd flared the weight seals just before impact. Mutsu was hit with three hundred pounds instead of thirty.

Across the room now, Mutsu was reevaluating his plans on winning with Taijutsu. Naruto was fast and ridiculously agile. It was like trying to catch water with a sieve. And he packed one hell of a punch. Mutsu didn't think he'd been hit that hard by a Genin… or a Chunin. Maybe his sensei once or twice, but still. The amount of force behind that kick was unreal. And he couldn't sense an outpouring of chakra either, so it hadn't been enhanced that way…

He straightened. Luckily he had been reinforcing his body with Earth chakra, making him far more durable than normal, though it limited his flexibility somewhat. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to win with a direct approach.

 _"_ _Time for some Earth style. Kurotsuchi said this guy has Wind affinity. So I should be able to beat him with some Fire style once he's weakened. But I need to test how much chakra this guy has, Kurotsuchi said it was a lot."_

Naruto saw Mutsu flash through several handsigns, " **Earth Release: Earth Spears jutsu!"**

Mutsu activated his jutsu and Naruto rolled his eyes. He poured his chakra into his feet, and the moment it left him he focused on the seals on his palms. Then he slammed his seal covered palms together. The chakra leaching into the floor turned into electrical energy, raising the hairs on the back of his hands and neck.

Suddenly the floor in front of Mutsu exploded, jagged spears of earth tearing free of the floor, sending a line of spikes racing towards Naruto. The moment they came within ten feet of the blond they stopped. No more spears tore free of the arena floor, leaving Naruto completely unharmed.

Naruto smirked at the confused look on his face. "Hey boulder brains. Lightning beats Earth. You should try something else."

"What the fuck, you didn't even do anything! How did you block that?!"

Naruto explained, "I sent lightning chakra into the ground through the metal studs in my shoes. As soon as your Earth style jutsu hit the ground I'd permeated, it was disabled."

 _"_ _Shit he has lightning Release and he's pretty good at it. Time for some Fire anyway. I'll just overwhelm him!"_

Naruto saw him flash though the handsigns, finishing on tiger. _'_ _The Fire ball jutsu huh? I show him to try that shit with me. Here's one of my new jutsu._

 **"** **Fire Style: Fire Ball jutsu!"**

Mutsu inhaled a great breath and then expelled it one great blast. Naruto reacted, darting backwards twenty feet in a bound till he was just beneath the Kage's position. He pulled as much chakra as he could and shouted, **"** **Wind Release: Demon Wind Meteor jutsu!"** Naruto's hands slammed together again, sending an explosion of air directly at Mutsu.

The scorching heat of the Fire ball was wrenched away by the blast of wind as they collided. The Fire jutsu seemed to fight with the much more powerful Wing style attack, but was quickly absorbed.

Mutsu dived out of the way as his attack came right back at him, on the forefront of a huge pillar of compressed air. It roared past him, flames licking at the back of his clothes and setting his hair alight. He rolled to extinguish the flames as Naruto's jutsu broke against the far wall. Or it would have been more accurate to say _it broke_ the far wall, leaving a twelve foot crater in it, scorch marks surrounding the blast area.

Naruto grinned, "I figured that would happen. You really shouldn't throw fire jutsu at a wind user who has as much chakra as I do. I'll just send it back in your face.

Mutsu got to his feet patting himself down. He realized now that he really didn't have a chance at winning. No one was supposed to have that much chakra. That blast of wind would have easily overpowered a fireball six times as big. And that was his second largest fire jutsu.

If he couldn't beat him with his weakness, then he sure wasn't going to beat him when he was on even ground, element wise. Mutsu gritted his teeth. He could still get promoted to Chunin if he only managed to distinguish himself. He didn't need to beat Naruto to show he was as strong as a Chunin.

He shifted into a Kenjutsu stance, drawing his Katana. " _Just have to show off my skills. Ok, let's do this."_

Naruto shifted, "Time to end this."

Mutsu's eyes went wide as Naruto blurred forward, almost disappearing from sight. "TAKE THIS!" Mutsu felt two blows connect with his chest, one right over his heart, and the other in his solar plexus. Electricity tore through him where Naruto's fingers connected.

Naruto drew back, instantly and his hands slammed in again. Four strikes, two hit in the same place while the others caught him lower down. Yellow arcs of lightning flew between them as Naruto came in again. Mutsu coughed up blood as he was driven backwards. Eight lightning enhanced attacks ripped into him.

Naruto spun, allowing water chakra to circulate though his lower body and torso as lightning chakra flowed through his arms and though his hands. He was straining now. This technique was hard to pull off, but with the high frequency vibrations from the Lightning style he could withdraw and strike again in just under a tenth of a second. Faster than the eye could follow.

Sixteen landed this time, two missing by chance, lancing through Mutsu's nervous system with enough force to make him spasm. He was thrown back, but Naruto hadn't finished. "LAST ONE!"

Naruto growled, "Ninja Art: Lightning Dance, Thirty-Two Bolts!"

Naruto's arms disappeared from sight. The air between him and Mutsu exploded as Naruto dealt all thirty-two in under a tenth of a second, the expulsion of lightning chakra sending the Iwa nin flying. Naruto halted gritting his teeth. The skin on his hands and around his wrists was singed and smoking, but the pain was leaving. The Kyuubi's chakra healing the small injury almost before it could really start.

He dropped the Taijutsu stance and looked over to where Mutsu was flat on his back, his body literally steaming. Naruto's new technique was vicious. The first two strikes were meant to paralyze the opponent by disabling the central nervous system, and also the heart so that chakra manipulation would be nearly impossible. Two of the next four blows stuck lower where two of the eight Celestial gates were supposed to be, while the rest did a double tap to the solar plexus and heart. If the opponent was tough enough to survive that… then you had bigger problems.

The next eight were aimed at the joints, shoulder, elbow, neck, pelvis, and knees. And then Sixteen were all focused in a grid pattern on the torso. By that time there was enough lightning chakra in the air to scorch Naruto's fingers. But inside Mutsu's body it was starting to boil him from the inside.

The last Thirty-two were all focused in a tight grouping around the belly, turning internal organs into a twitching spazing mess. Over all it was his most deadly Taijutsu technique. The problem was that it was really easy to miss the target at that speed and he didn't have any Doujutsu that enhance his vision.

It left his rather open to other attacks, meaning he didn't want to use this when outnumbered, but one on one it was hard for anyone to handle. Naruto mentally thanked Neji for not paying attention to who was watching when he trained.

Mutsu was out. There wasn't any doubt about it. He was moving, but it was involuntary, the electrical energy still live and zapping through his muscles. Naruto might have felt sorry for him , but… he didn't. Mutsu had insulted the man that he'd striven to be like since he was a little kid. He'd insulted him personally, and the village he lived in all in a few minutes.

From behind Naruto the Proctor called, "The winner of this match it Uzumaki Naruto! He is cleared to go to the Finals."

Naruto nodded and walked to the stairs to join the rest of his team, but before he could go more than a few steps he was caught by a hand. "Hey Hanabi. Something wrong?"

She looked confused and more than a little angry. "Naruto… How did you learn the Gentle Fist technique? That is something only clan members are taught. No one would show you how to use it, so… Who taught you?" She sounded insistent.

Naruto shrugged. "You guys think that just because you have fancy eyes that I can't get past you? I've been watching members of you family train. I memorize the movements and then try to replicate them. It's as simple as that."

"That's impossible. You've been away training for more than two years. And not with a Hyuuga. You've only been back for a few months so how is it that you learned the Gentle fist in a few months?!"

He sighed, "Do you really want to know?"

She nodded.

"Well…. Actually I'm just awesome that w…..."

Hanabi opened her mouth to shout something at him and found herself holding thin air. She stumbled forward. Her head whipped around looking for the blond. He was… gone.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya felt something fall on top of her out of thin air with a shout. "Ouch!"

She went sprawling backward in Naruto's apartment with a certain blond on top of her. She growled, "Hey, why the hell are you here?!"

He looked down at her, rubbing his head. "Ow… Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that was your fault. I didn't activate the seal so it must have been you."

"What do you mean by…oh… I guess you're right." Tayuya realized that she had been tampering with the Hirashin seal on her after all so it might have summoned Naruto here by accident. Either that or Naruto had a two way set up for it. Or… he'd made it in such a way that anyone messing with it would summon him instead… or….

Naruto jogged her out of Fuinjutsu mode as he asked, "Uh… what's up with the walls?"

He was glancing around at the layout of seals covering every inch of the room's interior. She smiled sheepishly, "We had an unwelcome visitor and I decided to make a few privacy seals. I don't like the idea that someone is watching everything we do or listening to everything we say."

She realized Naruto was still straddling her, but her mind was still focused elsewhere and she couldn't spare the effort to berate him for it. He asked, "Uh… who?"

Tayuya growled, "That fucking scarface Danzo showed up."

Naruto's eyes widened as his attention snapped to her, "What did he do?!"

She used one hand to push Naruto off her as she sat cross legged on the floor. "He apparently thinks that I am his personal servant. He showed up and told me off for not getting down to business fast enough. The Ass threatened to make me disappear if I didn't produce an heir fast enough."

Her purple eyes narrowed. "He thinks that I have some obligation to him, but I sure as hell don't. The deal was that I live with you and have your child at some indeterminate date in the future and in exchange for a clean slate. I'm not even a Kunoichi for the village so he can't hold duty over my head either. It ticks me off to know he has any control over me."

The look on Naruto's face was gratifying. His eyes flashed red and he clenched his fists. "I knew that guy was bad news the moment I saw him. So he wants you to seduce me or something?"

She nodded, "Pretty much. He must have some sort of twisted plan or he wouldn't be so insistent. And personally, even if I wanted a kid, I wouldn't have one anywhere that guy could get his hands on it. And I've got a few bad ideas about what he might want it for."

Naruto glanced up, "And?"

"The first one is simple. You're a freaking bleeding heart. If you had a kid you'd move mountains to keep it safe right?"

He growled, "I've always wanted a family. Do you even have to ask that?"

She shook her head, "Not really, but if you did have a kid then he could use its safety against you. Danzo is the kind of fuckup who does absolutely whatever it takes to accomplish a goal. He wouldn't hesitate to threaten a child to force your cooperation." Tayuya crossed her arms. "That my first idea."

"And the second?"

"This one is probably closer to the truth if you think about it. Remember what Danzo said about assisting the Hokage from the shadows? And the Hokage told you that Danzo works to protect the village, but his methods are extreme. I think that he wants the Kyuubi under his control one way or another. If he can't control you, then he'll kill you and put the demon inside your child. Then he can serve two purposes. He can seed the Uzumaki bloodline throughout the village behind Tsunade's back and he can raise a Jinchuriki the "proper" way."

Naruto didn't know whether to go red with anger or white with fear. "So…that's what these seals are for?"

She sighed, "As much as I think you're a thick headed moron, you are strong. You wouldn't have survived training with one of the Sannin if you weren't. Besides, you have the Hokage's ear don't you? As long as you're on my side then Danzo can't really touch me. If he pisses you off then you go Ninetails and wipe out half the village."

Naruto shook his head, "No… I don't have enough control over his power to do that right now. It isn't that me and Kyuubi don't get along. We're fine as long as I don't tick him off, but my body just can't handle much of his chakra. It heightens whatever emotion you have at the moment. The problem is that I'm not going to be drawing on his power when I'm in a good mood. If I'm angry is makes that a hundred times as worse."

He calmed himself, "No… If Danzo think he can mess with you behind my back then he'll learn the hard way that I'm not someone you want as my enemy. I can make over ten-thousand clones if push comes to shove. I could probably level the village using a single jutsu. He's going to find out what an angry Uzumaki looks like."

Tayuya blinked. She had thought he would go off the handle when he was told. But apparently Naruto was going with the long way. She was happy with that. It wouldn't be any fun to hear Naruto had ripped the village apart looking for him. It would be much more satisfying to hear that Naruto was making all his plans go down the shitter.

"So what are you going to do?"

Naruto stood and made two clones. He sent the first one to Tsunade's office. The second one sat down with her. The original said, "I think I'm going to pay Tsunade a visit as soon as the preliminaries are over. She isn't going to let Danzo get away with this any more than I am. And if I talk to her first and Danzo does something to you anyway, I won't get in trouble for putting him in the hospital."

"Or a grave," she suggested.

"Or a grave," he agreed"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And that's a wrap! Hope everyone loved the new chapter. And yes… there will be an explanation later on for the Kakashi incident. I'm not going to tease you guys with it so much and then just leave everything hanging. Never fear!**

 **Now, onto another subject. I have decided to add in an OC that will be a semi-major addition to the story. He'll come in at the end of the Exams. So there will be some drama when he shows up on the scene. Hehe…**

 **Full credit to** **Lockdown00** **for giving me permission to use his OC!**

 **REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Or else… kukukuku….**


	8. Chapter 7 - Conflagration

**And I've risen back from the dead with a new chapter of Sealing Twilight. Sorry for the long wait, but it was necessary. My college has been throwing everything it can at me these days. Anyway, I could have posted this a little while ago, but forgot to in favor of updating Hybrid's game. Oh well, a few reader responses and a few questions after this chapter and then we'll be getting into the good stuff.**

 **Dragzxx:** **Hm… territorial Tayuya? Who'd have thought? Yeah, imagine what she'd do if some other girl started to get really close to Naruto. I'm not 100% sure if a female can actually be castrated, but I'm sure she'd do her best.**

 **Yojimbra:** **The fluff in this story is hit and miss because of the messed up nature of Naruto and Tayuya's feelings at the moment. But don't worry too much. It's coming. (pun not intended)-((…maybe…))**

 **Mokkel-Sempai:** **Yeah because of what I have coming up in the story, Naruto needs to be more overpowered than usual, plus he won't have the opportunity to train in the sage arts or master the Kyuubi so he's lacking two of his trump cards.**

 **Guest Whinner:** **Did Kurama seem like a good guy to you? No. He's not the good guy. He still hates Naruto, he just isn't blindly hostile. And he much prefers the usual knucklehead to the dark version of Naruto. He's stuck inside the blond either way, but he doesn't want to be trapped inside someone who has** ** _no problem what so ever_** **with taking what he wants.**

 **Anyway that's it for answering your questions! On to the story!**

 **(Still don't own Naruto… god damn!)**

 ** _Chapter 7_**

 **Ooo**

Lord A watched the Hyuuga girl spluttering over where ever the hell he'd gone. She'd even went so far as to activate her Byakugan, but he was nowhere in sight.

He turned to Tsunade, "So he can use Sealess Hirashin. How is that even possible? I didn't see him do anything. He just disappeared."

The other Kage were trying to figure that out at the same time. Tsunade had gone past the point of trying to understand it. Naruto couldn't know sealing, he couldn't have possibly taught it to himself. He couldn't know Hirashin, even though it had been obvious that… somehow… he knew. And that required much more than a few simple sealing jutsu to accomplish. It required massive amounts of practice and he would need the details of the jutsu to begin with.

That didn't count the sudden massive increase in… almost all his abilities in such a short time. It seemed that Jiraiya had vastly underestimated the blond Jinchuriki. Over all… she was losing control of the situation. If she couldn't find some way to monitor Naruto she'd be in trouble. She decided that as soon as she was free of her duties for a moment, she would have a very long talk with her favorite troublemaker.

Otherwise the other Kage would try and take advantage. She had no doubt that Gaara wasn't on her side. The pale Jinchuriki would be on whatever side Naruto was on. Despite the fact that all they shared was their burden… and a single battle, they still had a powerful bond.

Mei was a wild card, but she figured that the Mizukage would do Naruto right. After all she had been good friends with Kushina and Minato. But at the same time she couldn't guarantee that Mei wouldn't try and sway Naruto in some way…

So that left Lord A and the Tsuchikage. She knew that Lord A cared little for any of the other villages, but showed a special dislike of Kiri and Suna. There was also the fact that the previous Raikage had kidnapped a number of individuals from Konoha over the years. This practice had only stopped due to A's own promotion. With that in mind she _might_ not have to worry about Naruto being taken _directly_ , but there was still a very good chance that A would try… something.

Tsunade glanced at the Raikage who seemed to be mulling something over. She thought she knew what it was. Minato took out a full third of Iwa's forces in under two seconds. What could Naruto do with sealless Hirashin? And at his age, what other abilities had he developed that might surpass even the Fourth Hokage's jutsu? Yes… A would try something. She just had to figure out what.

Then… there was Onoki. The Tsuchikage looked like he'd seen a ghost back at the tower, and now he looked like said ghost had reached out and bitch slapped him. The old man was starring at the place where Naruto had been with a kind of… morbid fascination. Tsunade didn't like the look.

A second later Onoki turned his head to look at her, "Tsunade…. I am not asking you to reveal village secrets… but why is it that ..that boy… not famous? It is as though no one knows who he is. You explained to me about his… situation, but with such skills, why isn't he in every bingo book in the Elemental nations. Knowing a sealless Hirashin would give him an S-rank simply by default!"

Onoki looked slightly panicked now. Tsunade decided that it would be best if she take advantage of the situation for now. She coughed, "You may find that many of our Shinobi have secrets. I don't keep as close a tab on them as you. Besides, Naruto IS Naruto."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Gaara's pale eyes met the old man's worried ones. He said bluntly, "Naruto is seen as one of the most unpredictable Shinobi in the Land of Fire. Predicting him or anticipating anything about him is futile."

The other Kage turned their attention back to the arena where the next match was starting. However their focus was not on the fight. It had been redirected to where a certain boy had magically appeared again, next to his two teammates. Onoki's eyes bugged out. Mei giggled at the old man's expression, her own gaze returning to Naruto.

"It seems as though we will be in for a very interesting show. My Chojuro is at slightly above Jonin level and if I'm not mistaken, so is that Kurotsuchi girl. It seems to me that there are three highly skilled Shinobi in this exam… I wonder how they will do against each other."

The other Kage nodded as they had to physically turn their attention to the match at hand. As they did they missed the look that Naruto shot them. It wasn't his usual look. It was careful, calculating, and… predatory.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

"The next match is Metaiou Irabi of Kumo versus Kotegawa Yui of Taki!"

Naruto watched as one of the Kumo Shinobi jumped down into the arena as the girl from Taki moved down to the arena floor. Irabi was fairly tall with blond hair and pale skin. He had a thin face that reminded him a bit of Ebisu. His white flak jacket was in a slightly different style than most Kumo nin as it extended down past his waist in two tails. For some reason there was two long kunai dangled from theses flaps of leather.

Naruto turned his attention to Yui. She was a cute girl of about fifteen. She had long dark brown hair and eyes of an off gold color. Her garb was also odd. Instead of the usual Taki greens and blues, she wore a yellow shirt and a short white skirt. He wondered why a Genin was dressing like a civilian schoolgirl from the capital. Wasn't she…

He stopped thinking about it. After all he was _the_ master of stealth who dressed in orange so he wasn't one to talk.

The battle started off and ended almost as soon as it began. The Kumo nin activated some kind of ability and the two kunai on the ends of the flats shot up without his direction to impale Yui.

He was probably rather surprised when Yui cut him in half with a long blade of rippling water. Blood splattered over the arena floor as he fell in two pieces. Yui's hand flicked out and the water scattered, splashing over the now still corpse.

Konohamaru shouted, "HOLY SHIT!?" He looked at the girl in slight fear, "She just took him down!" His eyes turned to Naruto. "Hey! Did you see that co….."

Konohamaru's question died in his throat as he saw Naruto's expression. It was feral, his canines showing as he grinned. A strange look glinted in his eyes as he watched the Taki girl accept the proctor's congratulations.

"Boss?" he asked hesitantly. Naruto's expression was a bit scary…unnerving even.

Naruto's head snapped to the side, his eyes flashing red for a second. "Huh? What was that Konohamaru?"

"Um… you had a weird look just now boss." He shifted to the side. "It was kinda creepy."

Naruto's eyebrows rose, "Really? I didn't realize. Don't worry I'm fine."

Konohamaru looked back to the match where the body was being removed. There was something… not right with Naruto. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the friendly aura seemed to be…. fake. Konohamaru forced himself to focus on the screen that determined the next match. Maybe if his name was called it would distract him from Naruto's unsettling behavior.

 **Ooo**

Hanabi saw the next match's indicator, "Oh come on!?"

"Hyuuga Hanabi of Konoha versus Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konoha!"

She grimaced, _"_ _Damn it. The first person I fight one on one is the boy I practiced my new moves on? How am I supposed to save the best for last if he knows how I fight! And why do I have to hurt him of all people anyway?!"_

Hanabi didn't like the idea of fighting Konohamaru in a serious match. He was her friend, as annoying as he could be sometimes and he was nice. This reminded her a bit of Neji's match with Naruto. The hyperactive knucklehead against the Hyuuga prodigy… _"_ _Version two…"_

Grimacing she jumped down into the ring right as he did the same. The proctor explained the rules and stepped back. "You may begin!"

Konohamaru sighed, "You too huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Let's just get this over with… unless you want to be nice and just surrender."

"Not a chance in hell!"

Hanabi sighed to match his, "Let's do this then, but I won't go easy on you."

He grinned, "Like you ever?"

"Ok.. so maybe I was speaking in the future tense. Anyway stay still so I can squash you!"

She dashed forward, bringing her hands into position and overloading her chakra points in an effort to blast his into numbness. At the same moment she activated her Byakugan. Konohamaru was already moving.

 **"** **Shadow Clone jutsu!"**

Then there were five of him. They scattered, leaving Konohamaru directly in front of her. He grinned and brought his hands together again, **"** **Earth Release: Stone Cage jutsu!"** He slammed his hands into the ground, releasing his chakra.

Hanabi frowned and pumped more chakra into her hand seeking to at least brush against him as she was trapped. It wasn't as if it could hold her for more than a second. She had lightning affinity. Such a barrier wouldn't hold against her! _"_ _Nice try Konohamaru-kun!"_

He leapt upwards; nearly head butting her, but neatly avoiding her strike. At the same time ground rose, bars of stone entrapping her instantly. She whirled, beginning the first stage of Rotation. Only to cry out. All four of his clones finished their jutsu. Four shouts echoed in her ears from each direction. Left and right, forward and back. **"** **Fireball jutsu!"**

"Shit!"

Hanabi used the tunneling jutsu just as the four huge balls of fire converged on her position, incinerating the area where she had been. _"_ _Thank kami I learned the jutsu for emergencies. He would have had me right there."_ She came up behind one of his clones, striking out without bothering to aim. The clone poofed into smoke.

She was surprised again as her reflexes barely saved her from several dozen kunai and shuriken. Konohamaru had thrown them the second he saw her appear, knowing that the clone would blind her for a split second. Her rotation deflected all of them and blew away the smoke.

Hanabi dodged to the side as Konohamaru sailed past her, hand extended to cut her. Her Byakugan registered a huge influx of energy right beside her a second later. "RASENGAN!" She gritted her teeth and bent backwards, the violent ball of energy going right over her, missing her abdomen by less than an inch.

She hissed in pain at the awkward position even as she lashed out and hit four chakra points in rapid succession. Konohamaru gasped and leapt away. "Damn! You got me after all of that… made me lose my concentration too!"

Konohamaru's mass of chakra had dissipated leaving him on the low end of the chakra spectrum. Now he only had enough chakra for a normal Chunin. And that might have been enough to take another opponent. But she was a Hyuuga and she refused to lose! "You're in range Konoharau-kun."

His eyes went wide, "Oh shit!" He jumped backwards even as she darted forward, **"** **Hidden Art: Gentle fist, Sixty-four Palms!"** Konohamaru managed to dodge the first two, but the next four landed. "Two palms! Four plams!"

She whirled as his other three clones started hurling shuriken at her. She did a half spin of Rotation and managed to duck the last blade as it said past her ear. A smile lit her face as she slammed her chakra out through her foot, sending her chakra points screaming open.

WHAM!

Konohamaru felt the impact of her foot in his chest as the chakra laced strike sent him reeling. He could already feel half of his chakra points in his torso closing. _"_ _This is bad. I need to recover before she deals with my clones."_ Taking a page out of Naruto's book he did something creative and completely stupid under the circumstances.

His hands worked like a blur as he wrapped a double loop of ninja wire around her foot. The force of her attack dragged her down with him. Hanabi cried out as a shuriken cut past her cheek, drawing blood. She fell.

Konohamaru channeled every scrap of chakra he had and channeled it into fire chakra. His eyes met Hanabi's as she sailed towards him preparing to Juken him in the center of his chest. He mouthed 'sorry' as he delivered a massive punch to the center of her chest. His strike burned as it hit, melting the ninja wire and setting her pants and jacket ablaze. It blackened the skin on his knuckles as it impacted her.

Hanabi choked on her breath as her momentum was reversed. Both of them landed painfully, Konohamaru out of chakra and Hanabi struggling to draw breath.

They stayed like that for a moment… until he found the strength to sit up… then stand unsteadily. He looked across to Hanabi who was spread eagled on the cold floor. He gasped out, "I think that's my win Hanabi-chan…" A grin spread his lips as he sat down… hard. He felt like Asuma had decided to use him for a punching bag. _"_ _I'm glad there's a gap between the preliminaries and the actual third test. Otherwise I'd be out of it before I could blink."_

The proctor raised his hand, "The win goes to Sarutobi Konohamaru!"

He sighed as medical ninja came out onto the field. Most of them going to Hanabi, but one moving to him. He blinked. "Hey Sakura. Didn't know you were on duty here."

The pinket smirked, "Yeah well, had to get a look at how you newbies were doing. You did pretty good there. Now… let's get you on your feet."

He nodded and took her proffered hand. "Thanks Sakura…"

She pulled him to her feet and slipped an arm around him, supporting him. He glanced over at Hanabi who was already being taken out of the room. "Hey Sakura? Could I be in the same room with Hanabi?"

One pink eyebrow rose. "Sure…I guess. Anything else?" She asked as they headed out of the arena area.

"Yeah… I think something's wrong with big bro… He just didn't seem himself for a second there." Konohamaru felt Sakura tense.

"I know what you mean… but let's not talk about it here…."

He nodded as they left.

 **Ooo**

Up on the balcony Naruto caught every word. His grin turned feral once more. He needed to keep an eye out on those two….

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

It was less than an hour before the preliminaries ended. Tsunade review the results. There were actually only six winners out of the fifteen. One of the Genin had been in no condition to fight and was sent away before he got more seriously injured. And then there had been a double KO. Therefore only six would be in the final test. The winners were thus…

Naruto of Konoha

Yui of Taki

Konohamaru of Konoha

Kurotsuchi of Iwa

Chojuro of Kiri

Tenten of Konoha

She smiled. So Naruto's entire team would be moving on to the final round? That was good, and it would be a boon to Konoha that three of the six finishers were from her own village. It would send a clear message to the other villages that the Leaf had retained its strength…

Although she thought, with Naruto's almost reckless display of power, she didn't think there was any chance of the other Kage making a move. You didn't just mess with someone who used sealless Hirashin. That was downright idiotic, if not completely suicidal. When someone did come after him it would be well planned and overwhelming.

 _"_ _I just wish I knew how he acquired such skill. Jiraiya is gone at the moment, though he might return for the final stage of the Exams to see Naruto… He tends to want to spend more time with the boy now. So for now I'll have to wait to hear an explanation from that corner… Although, I suppose it would just be easier to send for Naruto."_

Her old teammate was probably trying to make up for all the years he stayed away, avoiding anything to do with his awful memories of the past. She wouldn't blame him though. Or more accurately she couldn't. After all she'd done the exact same thing as him, except she had seven or eight years head start. _"_ _I should have come back many years ago… but at least I can start rectifying the situation now."_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a burst of extremely dense chakra.

Her head jerked up to find Naruto standing there. He didn't look happy.

 **Ooo**

Naruto flashed into Tsunade's office. He saw her, minus Shizune, sitting at her desk. Her usual bottle of sake was suspiciously absent. He growled inwardly at that. _"_ _Useless information. Grrr…. Why can't I get a hold of myself?"_

Tsunade looked up, "There you are brat. I was just about to send someone to look for you. Get over here. We have things to discuss." Her tone brooked no argument, but he ignored her. His eye twitched in annoyance.

 _"_ _That bastard fox is helping him. Shit. I knew I should have just repressed him when I took control last. That idiot still has some control. And here I thought that idiot Iwa boy would be enough to take over for a while."_ He shook his head violently, attempting to dispel the voice which was getting much louder.

 _"_ _GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

 _"_ _No you useless retard. I'm in control now. Go back to sleep."_

 _"_ _LIKE HELL I WILL!"_

Tsunade watched as Naruto closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Something was off about him. His body language was different. The way he was pinching the bridge of his nose… reminded her of her grandfather… and herself. But Naruto never did that. He usually relieved stress by shouting. And why was he stressed in the first place?

She saw his jaw clench as his body went rigid. Her eyes narrowed and she motioned to one of the ANBU hidden in the room. Instantly a cat faced ANBU was at her side. Tsunade said, "Inoichi, Now."

The ANBU nodded and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Her attention returned to Naruto. She was getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't quite right. She wondered if it had anything to do with what Sakura had been muttering about. And what with the prior incident… and the way his behavior had been so different… It seemed similar. He wasn't acting out right now, but he certainly wasn't his usual boisterous self.

She asked, "Hey brat, what's wrong with you?"

Naruto's eyes opened and he glared at her, "Not right now Tsunade."

She blinked. _"_ _Ok… something really is wrong here. He didn't call me granny or old woman… or anything. He didn't even call me Hokage! This is bizarre…"_ Tsunade frowned. Was this the possible alternate personality that Inoichi had spoken of? It was starting to seem like it. The Naruto she knew didn't act like this.

 **Ooo**

Naruto closed off his mind to the outside and forced himself inward. He needed to deal with this and he needed to deal with it now. _"_ _Fuck, why can't he just let me do what I want?! That woman is already suspicious of me. Damn it! I can't act like my idiot self!"_

Naruto dropped down in his mindscape, already moving to the great bars of the cage. Across from him lay the great demon. The great demon who was helping his other self to regain control. It pissed him off. Didn't the over grown fox understand who he was?! He _was_ Naruto in every way that mattered, so why the hell was he interfering?!

"YOU! Why are you helping that idiot!?"

The beast glared back at him with no small amount of anger. **"** **Truly you are a fool. As much as you and I share in perspective I cannot allow you to remain in control of the boy's mind when you show such disregard for me. I AM the greatest of the tailed beasts! Brought into this world by the Sage of the Six Paths! I REFUSE to be commanded by you!"**

Naruto cursed loudly, his anger rising exponentially. "You will do what I tell you to Kurama! If I decide to take every shred of your chakra I WILL!"

The fox shifted, baring his teeth, as he rose to his feet. The nine tails swings ominously behind him. **"** **Know your place. You may be superior to that other part of you, but you are STILL a WORHTLESS HUMAN! I am a Biju, and far beyond you understanding."** Kurama grinned, **"** **Besides, now that I have made the kit aware of your presence, you will be forced to fight both of us. You cannot fully take control of my power without letting him gain control. And you are unable to subjugate his consciousness while I have my power."**

"SHIT SHIT SHITSHITSHIT! You…you will not force me back into my cage fox. I have waited far too long to see the light of day again. I have felt control three times now… Three times in almost ten years. I am the one who will win this time! He will go in the cage where he belongs! That sentimental weak minded fool deserves to be locked away for allowing us to suffer so long!"

Kurama chuckled, **"** **True…"**

Naruto exploded, "THEN WHY ARE YOU HELPING HIM!? I COULD RELEASE YOU POWER ON THIS DAMN VILLAGE! ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!"

 **"** **You are the fool. Naruto and you are but two sides of the same coin. Without both you are worthless… counterfeit. Your attempts to destroy him are only harming yourself… and therefore me. And… as I have already said, I cannot allow you to be in control when you so easily control my chakra."**

"….."

 **"** **Do you think that your killing intent means anything to me human? I am practically made of it. Your hate may be potent indeed. Even more potent than mine, but I have much more than you. I have centuries of hate. You don't even have twenty years."** Kurama laughed, **"** **Yes… you are foolish. If you had only stayed below the surface… biding your time, you might have taken better advantage of your other half. However, from what I have observed, you are greedy. You had a taste of power and freedom with the redhead and became addicted to it instantly. You withdrew thinking that Naruto would soon give you another opening."**

"But he didn't."

 **"** **No… Do you know why?"** Kurama was taunting him now. The shadow of Naruto was replaying through his actions, trying to find where he had slipped up. When had he put himself on the path that led to this situation?

Naruto closed his eyes. He was damned if he did. And he was damned if he didn't. If he forced Kurama to bow to his will, then his other self would take control….and since the fox would then be subjugated, he likely wouldn't have another good chance to awaken… not for years. However if he moved to crush his other half then Kurama would likely take the opportunity to blind side him.

Either way he would be forced back into his cage.. but where had he gone wrong? Naruto looked up to the fox, the sly grin across the beast's muzzle was infuriating. Could the demon know something he did not? Some part of himself that caused him to fail? _"_ _I hate that mangy furball. I hate this village, and I hate that other part of me, but most of all I hate losing control!"_

He grimaced as the ache behind his eyes intensified, turning into a splitting migraine. No.. he was looking too deep into this. There was something he had done or said which had taken him where he didn't wish to go. Something he had caused during his short time off the leash… had caused a chain reaction of events while his other half was awake… and somehow it led to this. Naruto was still annoyingly aware of the fact that he was standing in the middle of the Hokage's office looking like a pissed off statue. _"_ _And that won't fucking help either. She's already noticed my horrible acting so she will…"_

His error took that moment to pop into his head. _"_ _Shit! That's what happened?!"_ It was careless… an action in response to his natural urges. And he'd given into it. No more than that. He'd pushed it out of proportion, just to see what would happen.

The kiss.

He'd taken momentary control during the argument with Tayuya. Quickly taking over the situation he'd cowed her into a corner. _"_ _I enjoyed being myself so much that I wasn't thinking about how my actions would affect me when I was no longer leading… Shit."_

 **"** **Do you see your mistake now? You are a part of Naruto, but you, as much as you claim to be better, are only a small part of him. Thus you need quite bit of leeway to take over. And the only way you managed to do this was by using Naruto's conflicting emotions as a doorway. As long as he stays calm and doesn't completely lose control of himself, you have no chance of slipping through."**

 **"** **Anger isn't enough. Hate isn't enough. Jealousy isn't enough. No single emotion will destabilize him enough for you to take control. Tayuya was perfect for you. Your other side is so very… conflicted about her. He likes her, but at the same time he hates her for her role in the Third Hokage's death… On a physical level he notices her and lusts after her… but at an emotional level he was furious at the time. All of that conflicting emotion was perfect for you."**

Kurama settled down on his paws, his red eyes taking in the highly agitated boy before him, **"** **You were reckless and kissed her, giving into your own lust for a moment…and in the process left your other half hanging."**

The fox chuckled again, the deep sound echoing out thought the room. On claw pointed at him. **"** **Naruto didn't know what happened. His mind tried to connect the dots but couldn't. In the end it all led to an argument between Naruto and Tayuya… and that in turn led to a break in their hostile relationship. Naruto has forgiven her for her role in aiding Orochimaru. He is no longer angry with her. In fact he's almost nervous around her because his instincts tell him to comfort her. His lust now works against you as well."**

 **"** **You…."** The Kyuubi snickered, **"** **Screwed up. If I know anything from my previous hosts it is that humans are weak to love. As soon as that comes into the equation everything else falls into chaos. Your other half has already fallen for that girl and he doesn't even know it."**

Naruto stared up at the demon as it expression became what he could only assume was a smirk. **"** **The being who gave you the greatest leverage will… most likely… become his greatest source of calm and security. You might never get another opportunity to manifest yourself. And oh… how amusing it is for me to see you like this. I've spelled it out to you. And yet, you can't do a thing about it. How does it feel? To know that something you did almost as an afterthought was your downfall."**

Naruto didn't answer. He was caught off guard by a massive pull. His mental image strained and he growled. "No…no…I won't give up so easy!"

With a shout he launched his other half's influence away. It was like trying to reverse gravity. _"_ _Fuck if he doesn't have a strong will… damn it, if only I had some way to destabilize him…"_ He grunted and willed himself back into the real world, where a very concerned Tsunade was.

It didn't work. Even as he focused to leave his mindscape both Kurama and his other self attacked in unison. The power behind Kurama's mental blast was enough to make him cringe, but the real damage wasn't done by the fox. Now that Naruto was perfectly aware of his existence, only something _huge_ would put him off guard enough for him to take control… and with Kurama assisting the brat, there wasn't anything he could do. His power… was insufficient.

He found himself being pulled back into Naruto's subconscious where he was locked tight by an iron will…. The shadow found himself looking into angry blue eyes.

"So we meet at last you imposter."

Naruto looked over to where Kurama was sitting rather smugly, "Thanks for assist Kyuubi."

 **"** **Don't make it sound like we are friends mortal. I am beyond such concepts. I merely lent my aid to prevent that piece of trash from using my chakra. Don't expect such assistance again… not without some form of payment."**

The blond nodded, "Yeah, I got it. But seriously, thanks for helping me deal with this jerk."

"That's a bit harsh don't you think. You should be thanking me and letting me out! Not sticking me back here! Don't you see what an idiot your being?!" Naruto looked down at the… "other" Naruto. His eyes were red and he looked a bit…feral. Like he'd taken his general features and made them harsher.

He growled, "Thanking you? For trapping me inside my own mind? If there's an idiot here, it's you. I've done just fine without you fucking up my life."

"Oh that's what you call this epic shit storm of an existence you have." He snorted derisively, "You walk around pretending that you're something you aren't. You act like you could ever be friends with someone. We both know that smile of yours is fake. All those heroic words are trash!"

Naruto turned to Kurama, "Would you mind keeping this ass hole pinned down? I'd like to get back to being in control of my own actions."

 **"** **Sure thing. Though… I hope you're not intending on telling that old hag about this."**

"Why not?"

 **"** **Three reasons. First being that it's none of her God damned business. Second, this one won't be getting out again if I have anything to do with it. And third, I have no intention of letting some nosy mind reader snooping anywhere near me. Especially not one of the Yamanaka brats. If I find one of those idiots snooping around my cage I'll annihilate them."**

Narut considered this for a moment. "I guess you're right about that, but how am I going to explain it to Granny? It's not like she's going to just forget that I spaced out for ten minutes."

 **"** **How should I know? She's your problem."**

"Uh huh… and you're back to your typical _useful_ self."

 **"** **Just leave."**

He rolled his eyes and did just that.

 **Ooo**

Naruto blinked rapidly as his vision swam into focus. He almost tripped over nothing as his balance returned. There was a reason he sat down before going into his subconscious. A mild headache remained as his other self raged in his new cage. He couldn't get out, but he could still make things unpleasant.

 _"_ _Kyuubi, Could you shut him up?!"_

 ** _"_** ** _Already working on it."_**

He sighed and shook his head violently before meeting the very worried gaze of the Fifth Hokage. His grin reappeared on his face as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to space out like that."

Tsunade's blond eyebrows met in a V. Her expression was the very definition of suspicious. "So…what just happened Naruto? Is there something you would like to tell me about?"

"Uh….not really. I just had to talk with the Kyuubi right quick."

"THE KYUUBI?! Why didn't you tell me that it was fighting you?!" She stood swiftly, "Do I need to call Jiraiya back?! I knew that loosening the seal was idiotic!" She brought her fist down of the table with enough force to crack the hardwood as she shouted.

Naruto waved his hands frantically, "Wait, wait, wait! Kyuubi hasn't been fighting me at all! He's been helpful!"

Tsunade blinked, shocked by his words. "What? It's been helping you? How?"

"First of all, he doesn't like you calling him an 'it'. Second yeah. He's been giving me his chakra without a fight and he's stopped trying to trick me into freeing him."

"I…I don't believe it." Tsunade dropped back into her chair frowning.

"But it's true! He even helped me when I was sparring with B!"

She froze and Naruto realized he probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Tsunade's expression changed from serious to disbelieving, "You…fought against the Jinchuriki of the Eighttails… the one who also happens to be the Raikage's little brother….?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, "Uh…yeah… Honest! He was pretty cool! I mean, he talked kinda funny, but it was a friendly spar. You don't have to make a big deal out of it."

Tsunade grimaced, "You need to understand Naruto. Kumo and Konoha have rarely seen eye to eye. Their ways are not the same as ours. Whereas I won't stoop to do certain things…Kumo has very few moral lines they aren't willing to cross."

"I don't know what you're trying to…"

"If Tayuya was captured by Kumo… she'd already be pregnant by now. Kumo is rather notorious for kidnapping rich bloodlines from other villages. For instance your good friend Hinata was almost kidnapped when she was three. That was during supposed "peace talks" between our two villages." Tsunade crossed her arms. "Your own mother was kidnapped by them when she wasn't much younger than you."

Naruto's jaw set slightly, "But… they don't still do that….do they?"

Tsunade shook her head saying, "I don't know. The new Raikage seems to be a more… principled man than his father. But he still serves the village above anything else. You are one of the last Uzumaki along with Tayuya. I wouldn't put it past him to use their Jinchuriki to get close to you. I know you like to see the best in people, but I need you to know… Kumo is bad news and always has been."

Her frown returned with a vengeance, "Now… I believe we've gotten off topic. You need to tell me what is going on with you. _Something_ is wrong. When I walked in on you and Tayuya I was under the impression that you were having some kind of mental break down. Inoichi thinks that you have a dormant personality. I need to know what know of this. And I'm not going to take any bullshit on it. I've already called Inoichi."

He stiffened, "I…Jeeze Granny, you know how to make things hard." Naruto looked her in the eyes, his grin disappearing. _"_ _Do I tell her or try and make something up? If she doesn't believe me then she'll get Ino's dad to look in my memories. Damn! I don't know what to do… I wish Kyuubi wasn't so stuffy about this."_

Naruto remembered the last time he'd had a Yamanaka rooting around in his head…shortly before he'd joined the Ninja academy. Not Pleasant. _"_ _I don't want anyone going through my thoughts and memories again. Last time was bad enough. Sure as hell don't want them knowing about how…_ " He frowned. There were plenty of things he didn't want them to know about. Especially him going behind Jiraiya's back to learn Fuinjutsu and copying jutsu down from the village scroll… Then there were his feelings for Tayuya. He…really..liked her, but would they approve of that? He doubted that Tsunade would.

On top of that, there was all of his secret training. Tsunade wouldn't want him training with Wind release jutsu after finding out how dangerous it was. The Kyuubi did a great job of healing his left hand after damaging the chakra network with his first successful Rasenshuriken, but Tsunade would no doubt forbid him from perfecting the jutsu. _"_ _I hate keeping secrets from everyone, but it feels like I don't have any choice."_

Naruto sighed and said, "I have an alternate personality. I didn't know until a little while ago. The more stressed I am, the easier it is for him to get out. Right now I have him pinned down in my subconscious so he can't break free."

Tsunade was silent for a moment, digesting this information. Then she asked, "How…?"

"Kyuubi. He's helping me."

She scowled, "Why is the demon helping you?"

Naruto dragged his fingers though his hair. His headache was going away, but he had a bad feeling in the back of his mind. A nagging sensation that he couldn't quite place. "My…I mean the other me, can somehow take Kyuubi's chakra easily. I can't get more than a little. So Kyuubi thinks I'm the lesser of two evils. He's still trapped, but at least he has more control over me while he holds his chakra."

"That's…not something I wanted to hear, but it's better than this alternate personality taking control… Tell me… what exactly does this other one act like. I saw a bit through Sakura's memories, but not enough to understand how he thinks."

"Sakura?"

"You don't know…" Tsunade grimaced. "Sakura went to check on you and Tayuya. I assume now that your other side was in control at the time. He scared the living shit out of her. Sakura came back in a state of shock and Inoichi delved into her memories. Right after that we double-timed it to your apartment…. That's when we walked in on you and Tayuya."

Naruto glanced away. That…wasn't me at the time. You know that right?"

"Yes Naruto. No need to be embarrassed. But I would like to know what he was thinking at the time."

"I don't know. Sorry, but I can't understand the way he thinks. All I can really say for sure is that he's almost the opposite of me. He's filled with hate and doesn't care about hurting people."

Tsunade grimaced, "Be honest Naruto. Can you keep him contained or do I need to get Inoichi to place a mental block on you?"

Naruto went still as the Kyuubi spoke, **_"_** ** _Such a mental block would act as a limiter on your emotions I suspect. It would eventually break if you found yourself in a stressful situation… degrading your mental strength and giving your other self the perfect opportunity to take control… DO NOT let one of those fool mind readers put ANY block on you. It's playing right into his hands."_**

 _"_ _Thanks for the info…."_

"That's not a good idea. I'll keep control of him. If someone messes with my feelings or thoughts I can't say that I could hold him if they failed." Naruto shrugged, "As long as nothing really bad happens I won't have any problem. Not with the Kyuubi's help."

Tsunade shifted and said, "Be wary of the fox too. I don't think I nee…"

"You don't have to tell me that Granny. I think I know how he operates better than you seeing how he's inside me."

"Just remember what I said.." Her eyes narrowed, "And if you feel anything change come and tell me immediately. Understood?"

He nodded and gave a sloppy salute, "You got it Grandma!" Naruto ducked a book which flew past his head.

"And stop calling me that Twerp!" She muttered and stood again, coming around the table. Naruto eyed her nervously, wondering if this was an attempt to get in range so that she could clobber him. Instead Tsunade stopped in front of him. "Now! I do believe you owe me a few other explanations! FISRT!..."

She leaned down looking him in the eye as she demanded, "Where did you learn Hirashin?"

Naruto would sooner go peeping with Jiraiya than divulge that information so he only grinned, "Well….that's a secret."

"N.a.r.u.t.o….. You _will_ tell me who taught it to you."

"HUH?! Taught?! I figured it out on my own thank you very much! The only hard part was getting my hands on one of the Fourth's kunai. Then I reverse engineered the seal. As for the rest…why should I tell you? It's not like you have enough chakra to use it. Did Pervy Sage explain how to use his peeping jutsu? Does Kakashi go around showing every guy he meets how to do Chidori? Are you offering to show every medical ninja in the village how to use the Mitopic regeneration thing?!"

She blinked.

"I didn't think so. Hirashin is my jutsu now, just like me and my Sexy jutsu."

Tsunade scoffed, "That's just an advanced henge"

"Wrong! Sexy jutsu is a full female transformation! It's _everything._ Why do you think Pervy sage tried give me half of the rights to Icha-Icha just to know how I did it?" Tsunade's expression was priceless.

"HALF?! He offered you half of the most popular book franchise in the Elemental nations…. For a single jutsu!?"

Naruto nodded smiling, but not because of her expression. He'd played his cards just right. Her attention, which had been on Hirashin was now squarely diverted. All he had to do now was change the subject gain and he'd be in the clear.

"Anyway Granny… You can beat up Pervy Sage for being stupid later. Could you do that blood test for me?"

Tsunade paused and then nodded, "I suppose. But I have a meeting with the Kazekage and Mizukage in an hour or so."

 _"_ _Checkmate."_

"Why don't you use that sealless Hirashin to get us to the Hospital."

Naruto blanked out. "Uh….what?"

Tsunade clipped him on the back of the head, "Don't play the fool with me. We saw you use it when you left the Tower earlier. You didn't use any handsigns or anything of the sort. You just vanished."

He looked up at her confused, "I don't know who you think I am. I don't have enough chakra to use sealless Hirashin at all. Maybe if I had all of the Kyuubi's chakra I might. I only disappeared because Tayuya actually activated the seal I put on her. Think of it like reverse Hirashin. She summoned me back on accident."

"So… you don't know sealless Hiashin?"

Rolling his eyes, Naruto said, "Yes. I can probably do sealless Hirashin. But I'd kill myself doing it four times. It takes too much chakra. There's a reason why it's so heavily involved with Fuinjutsu." He frowned, "Now stop trying to squeeze me for information or you'll wake up and ever single bottle of sake in your personal stash will be donated to the Inuzuka clan."

Tsunade paled. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh? I wouldn't huh? Care to _bet_ on that Granny? You don't have a fancy necklace to wager this time." Naruto grinned, daring her to make the bet. She didn't of course. Only crossing her arms and giving him an annoyed glare.

She muttered, "You're getting too big for your pants brat. I warn you to watch your mouth. One of these days I'm going to smack it off.

Naruto laughed, "I'd like to see you try Granny. I might not be able to use Sealless Hirashin, but I'm still faster than you!"

"Don't tick me off brat. Now stop trying to dodge my questions. I have more to ask about. Next on the list being where you leaned Fuinjutsu." She saw the objection on his lips and stopped him. "I'm not forcing you to show me all the seals you've undoubtedly come up with. I know how Fuinjutsu works well enough as I'm probably in the top ten users of it in the world. What I want to know is _who_ taught you."

He looked at her, his face shifting through a few emotions before settling on a very Nara-esk expression. "I was looking through that stuff from my mom and found scrolls on basic Fuinjutsu. I used my mass clone training method to get my calligraphy up to snuff. Then it was all uphill from there. I was mastering it before I knew it."

"Naruto….. The Uzumaki scrolls are still sealing inside the Forbidden scroll."

His eyes locked on to hers, the pupils thinning to slits for a brief moment. Then they were back to normal, making her doubt whether they'd changed at all. Naruto answered flatly, "Which I stole studied shortly after I got back to the village with Pervy Sage. I'd already progressed to level three sealing when you called me in to take deal with Tayuya-chan. Why do you think I was covered in burns that one time? I was working on high level explosive seals when I was interrupted by that ANBU messanger."

Tsunade's jaw dropped, then clenched tight in anger. "YOU BRAT! You stole the Forbidden scroll for a bit of light reading?! Do you have any idea how big a crime that is?! Do you!?"

"I've already stolen it before. Back when I was a Genin Mizuki from the academy tricked me into stealing it so I could graduate. I learned my Shadow Clone jutsu that night. I'm sure you can understand what that means right?"

She paused. It was true enough what he was implying. If it hadn't been for shadow clones he would have died on his first real mission. It should have been obvious before. Naruto never knew any jutsu before someone showed it to him, unless it was one of his home made jutsu. His sudden use of Shadow Clones coincided with the encounter with Mizuki almost perfectly. So… if Naruto stole the scroll when he wasn't even a Genin, doing it now would have been a piece of cake. And if what he said was true, and she had no reason to think he was lying now, then he basically had unrestricted access to the most powerful jutsu ever created in all of the Land of Fire.

"Naruto… tell me which Jutsu you mastered… The dangerous one that is."

His bored look became mischievous. "Well…. Let me put it this way Granny. I copied down almost every jutsu I liked for further use…. The ones I've mastered? Who knows what they could be."

"NARUTO…!?"

"Eh, don't worry so much. I'm not going to use any really danger jutsu ya know. Stuff like Edo Tensei is out of my interest. Bringing people back to life is… not something I want involved in. Other stuff like the clan forbidden techniques even I can't use." He didn't mention that with his use of Fuinjutsu that he could probably make use of almost any clan technique… at least to a certain extent. In fact he'd been wondering about delving into the Yamanaka clan jutsu later with Tayuya. He was sure that he could find some way to permanently lock his other self away with that.

Naruto sighed, "Now since we both know that you're not getting anything else out of me, why don't we go do that blood test. I want to see if I have some awesome Kekkei Genkei!"

She just Narrowed her eyes. "Fine…. But you will eventually tell me what I want to know. Understood?"

He rolled his eyes again, pulling out a small piece of paper. "Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before." Naruto smirked, "Try not to puke."

"Wha…?"

Naruto slapped the seal on her arm and then focused his mind on the Hirashin marker in his room. Tsunade shouted something indecipherable as space and time warped around them.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **That's it for this chapter. I hope this cleared up a few things for everybody! The next chapter will be coming soon so be prepared!**

 **Oh, but one question first. Should I leave Orochimaru out of things for now? Or do I get him involved with things in the next few chapters?**

 **Just some food for thought! Now remember to review!**


	9. Chapter 8 - Ash

**Hello again my dear readers, and lucky for you, I was able to get quite a bit done n this chapter. A big twist is on the way too, with some family** ** _revelations._** **Anyway I think this was a decent chapter, lacking much in the way of action sadly, but I think you'll get your action fix at the end of the Chunin Exams (am I right or am I right)**

 **As is my custom now, a few reader responses to those who took the time to review with questions or complaints… or especially nice compliments. (those are always welcome)**

 **mrenteria99** **: So yeah, I decided not to bring Orochimaru into things right now. I realized just how much he could screw up my plot line at the moment and things are going to be hectic enough as is… so no snake rape yet.**

 **On another note Dark Naruto will remain a constant worry for quite a while. Unfortunately he is a part of Naruto, not an implanted emotion but an actual part of him. So he'll be sticking around. And yeah, he's supposed to be scary, in a cool sort of way. I'm taking ideas on how to resolve the issue of taming his inner self by the way. Any "suggestions" will be considered, but in the interest of mystery, please PM your ideas instead of reviewing them.**

 **Aeroshadowclone** **: You know at first not many people liked the Dark Naruto concept, but now it seems like everyone likes the bastard. So I wanted to explain a few concepts about him.**

 **First and foremost he IS Naruto, which means while he may be smarter or more cunning, he still has the same emotions on some things and reacts to events in similar ways. He's just much more extreme. Also you may have noticed that Dark Naruto refers to the Kyuubi by his name. But that is a special instance. Besides that he doesn't know anything more than Light Naruto. (this means that they share the same memories but Dark Naruto is more observant)**

 **Dark Naruto has more control over some things such as his chakra and power, as in being able to knock Kurama around in his mindscape with no trouble, however he has much less control over his instincts and physical urgings.**

 **I think it's fairly obvious just who Dark Naruto is. For those of you who might still not get it, Dark Naruto is the same being Light Naruto confronted with Killer B at the waterfall of truth on the great turtle island. (just making that clear for you guys)**

 **AJGuardian** **: I made her eyes purple on purpose, (violet it you will) I thought it was reasonable enough to give her that color of eyes and I wanted her eye color to be slightly more unique than usual. After all the popular fan-culture says that most Uzumaki had violet or purple eyes. Over all, it's a small part of the story. Now if I gave her orange eyes then that would be something to yell about.**

 **Both the readers and Naruto…**

 **And now, on to the story!**

 **(I still don't own Naruto.)**

 ** _Chapter 8_**

 **ooo**

Gaara sighed as he walked though the village. His steps led him ever closer to his destination, a certain three story apartment building in the old district. He wondered if Naruto was at home. He hoped so. The two of them had much to speak about and Gaara still wanted to thank him. Thank him for the valuable lesson he'd been taught three years ago in the middle of a broken forest.

Naruto had been his savoir… and to a certain extent, the savior of Suna and the Land of Wind. He saved the life of the one who would become the next Kazekage. That was a debt that he planned on repaying, if he could. He wasn't at all sure that Naruto would even accept such a debt. In the short time he'd known the blond he discovered much to be admired. Naruto was kind, generous, loyal. All the things that made a good friend, but he had other qualities that made him more of a leader than anyone Gaara had met before. Even himself.

Naruto knew how to _forgive._ That one ability to see into the hearts of others and let go of anger and hatred. That was one if not the best quality Naruto had. He knew that as a fellow Jinchuriki he would be forever grateful. And… if he could, he would ask Naruto to be his friend and ally

Gaara had a dream. Not just to protect his people, but a new one. Something that Naruto had inspired. He wanted to create a brotherhood of sorts. To bring all the Jinchuiki together in a group. From Shukaku to the Kyuubi he would gather the brothers and sisters of the Biju. They would form an alliance that transcended borders and countries. A council of the most powerful men and women in the world. Gaara had already spoken in passing to Lord B from Kumo. Like Naruto, he'd had a connection with the odd container of the Eighttails. Despite his up-side-down and backwards way of speaking

It was a promising sign of times to come… _"_ _Now if I can just find Naruto… How difficult can it be to find one famous boy who wears bright orange and seldom goes five minutes without shouting believe it…"_ Gaara frown to himself, wondering just how much the Jinchuriki if the Kyuubi had changed. He seemed much more relaxed and calm during the match then he usually was. Even his exchange with Mutsu over the Forth Hokage was tame in comparison to when Naruto confronted him years before.

And admittedly he hadn't used his catch phrase once… plus there was less orange. _"_ _I must assume that the training period he had with Jiraiya of the Sanin had excellent results."_

 **Ooo**

Five minutes later he stood at a door that supposedly belonged to one Naruto Uzumaki. However it didn't feel inviting. In fact the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he waited. He'd already knocked but no answer came from within. Gaara was beginning to wonder if he came to the right place.

From the massive matrix of seals he sensed, it was very possible that this wasn't Naruto's residence. After all, Naruto could hardly be considered paranoid. He didn't even know Naruto like his friends did and he knew that much. So why would he have such a sealing matrix set up around his home? It was like he was preparing for some full scale assault from his own village… Some of these defensive seals were capable of destroying an average Chunin in one blast.

Gaara's frown deepened. _"_ _Perhaps I spoke to soon when I imagined that the village held him with some esteem now…"_

He withdrew from his thoughts as he heard footsteps inside… Then the door opened and he came face to face with… someone.

His eyes took in her appearance. She was about his own height with almost the same color hair. Hers was long and straight, hanging down her back. Her attractive features were framed with two long bangs and a third hung between her deep purple eyes. Her skin was pale and made her hair seem even darker. She wore a white T-shirt which was very loose but still showed off her curves. Despite her scowl she was undeniably beautiful.

Gaara blinked, confused. Why was there a girl at Naruto's home? The only logical assumption to make was that she was his girlfriend. Admittedly he didn't think Naruto was really the kind of guy who took to living with one of the opposite sex. So with that in mind he attempted to be polite.

"Hello. I'm Gaara of the Desert. I wish to speak to Naruto Uzumaki."

She raised one eyebrow, looking him over before realization dawned on her and she blanched. "Holy shit! Why the hell are you here?!" She backed away from the door drawing a long flute colored a dull crimson.

He raised one hand. "Hold. I mean no harm. I am only here to speak with my friend."

"Friend?" She seemed the very definition of suspicious. "I know that you tried to kill him. Isn't that right?"

Gaara nodded, "At one time we were enemies, yes."

Her guard dropped instantly, "Aw fuck it. Who am I to talk? We've both tried to kill him before. I guess that just means he had another weird friend I didn't know about." She looked him up and down a second time, noting his dress. "You're the Kazekage too. Damn… what is up with Naruto and having friends in high places. It's fucking unnatural."

"I can fully understand that. There are few people who don't know of his exploits, one way or another. Now may I ask who you are? You seem familiar to me."

She huffed, "Damn well better, I was part of Orochimaru's personal guard. Got the living shit beat out of me by that…." She paused for a second rephrasing her words carefully, "That sister of yours. I ended up here with Naruto taking care of me. Name's Tayuya by the way. Tayuya Uzumaki."

Shocked by her words, Gaara's eyes popped open wide. It required several seconds to reassert his balance.

The redhead's eyebrow raised again, "Something wrong with you?"

Gaara shook his head, regaining his composure. "No… pardon me. I wasn't informed that he had married. I suppose congratulations are in order…"

Immediately her face flush red. "I…fuck…I mean, I'm not… Shit!" She turned away from him cursing. Gaara didn't know what he'd done wrong. He just stood there, feeling as though he needed another long lesson from Temari on how to act socially. Tayuya's reaction proved that he badly needed more practice. After a moment she turned around walking towards him till she stood right in his face. Gaara forced his sand away from her before it ripped something off in an attempt to defend him from the angry female. Tayuya opened her mouth to say something and then stopped dead.

Gaara clearly heard Naruto's voice from inside.

"Tayuya-chan!? Hey where'd you go?"

Her frown fought to remain in place. Gaara watched in fascination as her face displayed several conflicting emotions. Anger was much in evidence, but alongside it was confusion and… desire? Gaara spoke from the doorway, "Uzumaki!"

A second later Naruto was at the door, "Yo! Gaara! I was hoping I would get a chance to talk to you. How's the village?"

"It is doing quite well thanks to you."

Naruto blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Nah, Don't mention it." He glanced at Tayuya who was still red in the face. Gaara saw something shift in his expression, hardly noticeable, but there. "Uh Tayuya? Something wrong? Why are you….?"

She growled something incomprehensible, which Naruto nodded at and turned to go inside the house ignoring the question. Naruto looked to Gaara raising an eyebrow. "Uh.. what did you say to her?"

"I only asked to speak to you and when she introduced herself as your wife I congratulated her."

Naruto's mouth had formed an O and his eyes widened. "She actually said she was my wife?"

"Well, no. She said her last name was Uzumaki. I assumed since she was living with you that…." Gaara stopped and sighed. "I messed up didn't I?"

The blond shook his head, "Uh… How do I put this? You're wrong and you're right at the same time. Technically we're married, but it isn't public. We only did it because she needed protection inside the village and she's almost a full blooded Uzumaki."

Gaara blinked in surprise, "So… she's a natural born Uzumaki? That's interesting."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, It's kinda awkward sometimes but we manage. We get along a lot better than we did at first. Actually it's funny cause you have red hair and the only people with red hair I've met so far were probably Uzumaki."

The sound of gagging from inside the apartment interrupted him. Gaara asked, "Who's that?"

"That's just Granny. I used Hirashin to bring her here and it makes most people a bit queasy."

"You're referring to the Hokage…."

A cheesy smile stretched his face again, "You got it! But then again I am the reason she's in charge." A thoughtful expression came over him. "Ya know… if you think about it. You and Granny. That means I'm responsible for _two_ different Kage getting elected… Maybe I'm getting a reputation for it… Anyway I was going to get me and Tayuya-chan a blood test so I'll see you later."

"May I join you?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sure, Don't see why not. Just warning you, when I say Hirashin makes you a bit nauseous, I mean a lot. The only person who isn't affected besides me is Tayuya. And I think it's because she's an Uzumaki like me." He opened the door all the way and let the Kazekage enter his apartment.

Gaara was a little surprised by the inside. He'd expected it to be a mess, or at least untidy. What he didn't expect was the neat little room. One side had a kitchen nook while the other two empty sides held two separate beds. A second door probably led to the bathroom. Off to one side of the room, butted up against one bed was a low round table with several scrolls spread out over it. Gaara recognized the script on the paper as Fuinjutsu, but wasn't personally skilled enough in the craft to understand what kind of seal it was.

He turned his attention away from the room its self and to those in the room. Tayuya was sitting cross-legged on one bed next to Naruto who was grinning with his legs hanging off the side. In the center of the room Tsunade was slowly recovering from the stomach twisting sensation of being Naruto's unwilling passenger.

A moment later she was able to stand up straight. She shot a glare at her fellow blond. "B..brat… Could have given me a better warning. That felt horrendous!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and Tayuya got over her embarrassment enough to laugh at her. "Come on. Calling yourself a Kage. Can't you take a little bit of discomfort?"

Tsunade looked up angrily and met the gaze of her fellow kage. She spluttered, causing Tayuya to burst out laughing and Gaara to shrug dismissively.

"So uh…. I've got seals all over now. I sent out clones to put them in a grid pattern around the village, plus a ton of different important spots like Ichiraku and the hospital." He scratched his head, "Can we go yet?" Garra shrugged again and nodded while Tayuya huffed. Naruto glance between the two redheads. "Granny? You ok yet?"

She grumbled to herself and made to rip the small seal paper off her arm. "Thanks but no thanks. I can walk to the hospital brat. I don't feel the need to experience that again simply for convenience sake. You can wait for me there if you must." Tsuande glared at Naruto as he gave her a quick thumbs up.

"See you later then Granny." Naruto jumped off the bed and landed next to Gaara, smacking a seal tag on his shoulder as Tayuya got off the bed and walked over. Tsunade watched as Naruto grabbed Tayuya's hand, her cheeks burning red again.

Tsunade frowned as all three disappeared.

 **Ooo**

Reality reasserted its self a moment later, leaving three figures standing in Konoha's main hospital. As they appeared every man and woman in the room jumped from the spike in chakra. Several Shinobi drew steel… only to gasp when they saw a blond haired young man and a red haired girl standing close together. Then they realized who it was and relaxed…. _Slightly._ Most were still unnerved (if not frozen in shock) by their sudden appearance… Especially the method of their appearance.

Naruto glanced around at the wary faces, some of which were already changing to distaste. He ignored those few civilians in the room and led His two friends over to one side of the hospital where a nurse sat on one side of a large counter.

She looked up as he stopped in front of her.

"Ah… what are you here for Uzumaki-san?"

"Hey Granny Tsunade's showing up in a little bit to do a blood test for me and Tayuya-chan here." Naruto's gestured to the fuming redhead. "She's an Uzumaki too, but we needed to check everything else too."

The nurse nodded slowly and looked down. "I can put you down for room 204. It has the equipment you'll need for an advanced blood test. You can head there now. I will inform Kokage-sama of your location when she arrives."

"Thanks!"

The nurse blinked as the two redheads again found themselves being dragged along. She sighed and went back to her work.

Five minutes later an annoyed Kage stalked up to the counter with a frown deep set in her features. "What room?"

"204 Hokage-sama."

Without another word Tsunade turned and headed in the same direction as the trio before her. She sighed again. _"_ _Why do I always get stuck on duty when those two are throwing killing intent like it's as natural as breathing? I'm not even sure the Hokage realizes she's releasing a constant stream of it these days…."_ Peering around she noticed that several of the other ninja in the lobby were looking rather pale. _"_ _Troublesome…."_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

The room where the advanced blood testing equipment was reminded Tayuya of Orochimaru's medical lab. Only that hadn't been as advanced as this. She looked around, taking note of the large metal boxes with their digital screens and gentle humming sounds. She didn't like it. She's always disliked hospitals. Even before she'd ever met Orochimaru. Back when she was an Orphan in Iwa she still hated them. They reminded her of the men who would come to _collect_ lost children for their _work_. It almost made her shudder… If Naruto hadn't been holding her hand at the moment.

She didn't know why he was doing that and she'd already smacked him upside the head for it, but he just ignored it. How? How did he just ignore being smacked in the head with the back of her hand? She had no clue. But he didn't even register the impact.

Gaara raised one eyebrow in curiosity, but otherwise made no comment. Tayuya assumed that Naruto was ignoring it on purpose… which led the question of _why_ he was holding her hand. She found out a moment later when Tsunade entered the room.

That was when she found out Naruto… Jinchuriki of the Leaf… was afraid of needles.

It required several minutes to stop the manic fit chuckles that seized her.

"Will you shut up and let me draw the blood damn it?!" Tsunade shouted, forcing her to calm down and wait as the needle sank into her elbow.

Tayuya looked over the where Naruto was rubbing at his arms with a sheepish expression. "You know what Naruto… I never thought you'd be a pussy when it came to needles. I mean… haven't you been stabbed before… Like… majorly stabbed? What the fuck is so bad about a tiny little piece of steel that doesn't even leave a mark?"

He shivered. "It isn't the needle Tayuya-chan… It's the stuff _in_ the needles I don't like."

"But she's not putting anything in. She's drawing blood out."

"Still feels the same." He muttered to himself as Tsunade finished drawing the blood out.

She sighed and put the vial of blood to the side before moving over to him. Tsunade smiled wickedly as she drew forth a needle about twice as large as Tayuya's. "You ready brat?"

"HEY!? That one's like twice as big as hers!"

"Exactly."

Still sitting next to him Tayuya giggled. "Payback's a bitch isn't it?"

"This isn't fair!" Naruto cried as Tsunade snicked him in the forehead, snapping his head backwards with a snap. Tayuya watched wide eyed as he collapsed unconscious. Knocking him out was okay in her book but that sounded like a fair bit more than unconscious! That snap sounded lethal. Tsunade sighed gratefully as Naruto was successfully knocked out.

"Well that makes it easier… and it's so much more quiet." Tsunade drew Naruto's blood and turned to the large machine which analyzed the blood. Tayuya was still too shocked to speak and had turned to shaking Naruto gently. Apparently he was still alive since she could hear faint grinding noises from his neck.

 _"_ _Fuck?! Just how durable is he?!"_ Tayuya muttered inwardly as she registered a muted pop from the blond. _"_ _She snaps his neck and it doesn't even phase those two!"_

"Would you wait a moment Hokage?"

Tsunade and Tayuya turned to see Gaara with one arm extended. "Kazekage? You want me to test you as well? Don't you know everything that this test would reveal?"

He shook his head. "You must understand that out of all the nations only Kiri has more advanced technology from… before. And Suna's is second worst after Iwa. Counting in the fact that my sand prevented any kind of test when I was younger…."

"Ah. I see. You never were tested because nothing came close to you."

He nodded and she shrugged, moving to the side of the room and pulling out a drawer. She shifted around for a moment before she came up with a smaller syringe. She walked over as Gaara suppressed his sand. "Is this the first time you've _ever_ had blood work done?"

"I believe so yes."

"You believe so?"

Gaara explained. "When I was a child I often raged in my _other_ form. I was always defeated by my father because of his mastery over magnet release. He used gold dust, something I have only just begun to experiment with. It is far heavier than sand… and because I do not possess the Lightning affinity, it is harder to move metal than sand."

"So your father was stronger?"

"In a way." Gaara sighed as she withdrew the needle. "Father was more skilled than I…and that isn't counting his knowledge of additional jutsu besides the Magnet or Sand release. However I have far more chakra now than he ever did." He smiled thinly. "Perks of being a Jinchuriki I suppose, but as you must recall, Naruto has more chakra in his middle finger than I do in my whole body. He proved that when he defeated me in single combat while in full possession mode."

"Hey! I was wondering about that!"

Gaara and Tsunade glanced to Tayuya who was frowning. "Yes? What was your question?"

"Exactly how was he able to fight you at all much less take you down. I mean you went into fucking tailed beast state like you said. He said that he only knew like two jutsu back then. How did he take down something that could walk through a sea of Jonin and not even get hurt?"

A smirk appeared on Gaara's lips. "You see Tayuya-san. He used a summoning jutsu to summon a toad as large as the Shukaku its self. Then he used a combination transformation jutsu to turn both into a pint sized version of the Kyuubi. Then he managed to latch onto me, even while in full possession mode. After that he dispelled the transformation and was able to reverse the process."

Gaara saw that this surprised _both_ women enough that Tayuya's jaw was slack. Eventually she threw her hands up in defeat. "Now I've heard almost everything! Next thing I know he'll turn out to be the great grandson of Kami freaking sama herself!"

Garra shrugged as thought this was entirely possible. Tsunade just shook her head. Truly, Naruto was one of the great mysteries of the world… along with where the 'log' came from that was used for substitution. But that was a migraine inducing question for another day.

She moved over to the machine and inputted the three vials of blood. Then she operated the touchpad while Tayuya and Gaara talked about the blond. She sighed and wanted the three minutes necessary for the first vial. She decided to process Gaara's first since she could see just what blood he had in him. It was another second as a small paper printed off the back of the machine. She grabbed it and examined the results as she activated the process for Naruto.

She almost laughed as she read the read out and then glanced at Gaara.

"I knew it."

Both redheads turned to look at her.

"You've got Uzumaki blood too Gaara. About sixteen percent… on your father's side from what I can tell. Which would mean that he was almost a fourth Uzumaki." She saw him nod once then smile slightly.

"Does that mean Naruto and I are related in some way?"

She moved over to hand him the slip of paper. "Hard to say. The Uzumaki clan was massive. Depending on where beck in your family tree the Uzumaki blood is… or how many sources there are… I'd say you have between a 2% and 8% chance of being related. I'm related to Naruto… closely. My grandmother was a full blooded Uzumaki who also happened to be the sister of Naruto's great great grandmother." Tsunade sighed and moved back to the machine. "It really depends but if you think about it, there's most likely Uzumaki blood in every royal family in every nation."

"How do ya figure that?" Tayuya seemed curious.

"Look at it this way. The Uzumaki clan was known far and wide for their longevity, physical and mental strength.. their Fuinjutsu… Kenjutsu… massive chakra… Basically having an Uzumaki husband or wife was guaranteed to improve the gene pool for your clan. Especially if you were a small clan like Konoha's Sarutobi family, who are known for their above average chakra reserves. Most just associate that with them being close to the Hokage's office for a long time. The Sarutobi clan has always produced powerful Shinobi, but the reality is that there have been three separate full blooded Uzumaki in the clan in the last hundred years."

She heard the click of the machine and held her hand over the opening waiting for the paper to come out.

"Anyway… Uzumaki are the perfect containers for Bijuu. The fact being that almost no other clan besides the Uzumaki are capable of holding the Kyuubi is a point in fact." A whirring sound heralded the paper being ejected. She pulled it free. "So it makes sense that the other nations royal families would have some Uzumaki blood in them since Jinchuriki are typically chosen from the children of the Kage or close family."

Tsunade gestured to Tayuya. "You're almost a full blooded Uzumaki so you would be perfect for the sealing of a Biju. Naruto is about….."

Whatever she was about to say caught in her throat as she dropped Tayuya's vial of blood. It smashed in a red splatter on the ground.

Gaara stood. "What is it? Are those Naruto's results?!"

She nodded. "It says here… That he has approximately fifty eight percent Uzumaki heritage, and…" She quickly bypassed the Namikaze family statistics in favor of the third clan listed… "…the Yuki clan…."

Her eyes dropped lower. His elemental affinities are registered as dormant…. The same ones as Tayuya… but also… Ice release…. Equal measures of Wind and Water affinities." Tsunade's eyes bypassed the secondary bloodline from his father and finished. "His chakra levels are currently measured at 963 times the norm for a Shinobi his age, which is high Chunin." She muttered distractedly, "Put in layman's terms…. he has enough chakra to rival six Kage…"

Gaara was speechless, but Tayuya was quicker to recover. She groaned and fell back next to the unconscious blond. "GREAT! So….. Piss-for-brains has endless chakra and a supposedly extinct bloodline from Kiri on his father's side… Since I know his mom was a full blooded Uzumaki. That means his dad had to be a Yuki clan member right?!"

"Not really… Naruto has shown a talent for wind release recently, but Kekkei genkei often stay dormant until a life threatening occurrence happens to bring it out. Theoretically Naruto could have twenty bloodlines… just as _theoretically_ I should be able to use my grandfather's Wood release… It's just that it's almost impossible to awaken bloodlines that have been dormant for generations. It says he's twenty-two percent Yuki clan… so that means that his father was half…"

Tsunade frowned. It seemed impossible for Naruto to have this. If he did have a bloodline like this, it wouldn't have registered if there wasn't at least a chance of him bringing it out. She had the strongest ties to her father besides Yamato and her blood didn't even register the Wood Release bloodline. So… that must have meant Minato had Ice Release… _"_ _But why didn't I know? Why didn't Kushina tell me, and why the hell wasn't it well known? Did he keep it a secret for some reason I don't know? The bloodline purges hadn't ended yet so the Yuki clan hadn't been destroyed at the time. What reason would he have for keeping it quiet?!"_

As far as she knew, Minato had Wind and Lightning release while Kushina had fire and Water… mostly Water though because of her family's powerful ties to the element. So how did Naruto inherit this bloodline so strongly if he didn't get Water affinity from his father? Could Kushina have passed her Water affinity along with Minato's Wind affinity to him? Getting a separate element from each parent was unheard of and even more so for it to allow the child access to a bloodline that only one parent shared…

Naruto chose this moment to wake up. He jerked up right and glared at Tsunade with predator's intensity. "That hurt _Grandm_ a. Now the Kyuubi is ranting about having to heal a concussion and a fractured vertebra in my neck because of you." He rubbed the back of his neck scowling while receiving disbelieving stares from all present. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

His face twitched as he saw the sheet in her hand. "Oi! You have the results yet?!"

Tayuya face-palmed at his sudden personality shift. Tsunade said bluntly. "You have Ice release."

Naruto's face didn't change for a moment. He seemed to be thinking this over and after a few minutes he shrugged. "Cool. Anything else?"

"WTF Naruto?! You have ever loving ICE release! Don't you get how OP that makes you?! And you're already so over powered that it isn't funny anymore!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… Well since I started working on Water chakra manipulation I figured that I had water release or something since it's so much easier than lightning or fire." Naruto looked into Tayuya's surprised expression, wondering why she was making a big deal out of it. Hell, wasn't she the one who came up with the seal to use all five elements without even training with them? Having a bloodline with only two elements shouldn't have come as a shock to her. Especially after he told her his progress.

"Um… I get that me having Ice release is real special and all… and… I like the idea of having ties to the Yuuki clan seeing how I used to have a friend from that family, but is this really that astonishing?"

"YES!" Tayuya shouted. "Do you know how inhumanly powerful this can make you?!"

Naruto crossed his arms. "As in me having chakra reserves on par with a Bijuu even without the Kyuubi? And with me using that chakra to use bloodline techniques large enough that only another jinchuriki could stop them? Yeah I understand that it's OP, but come on. I did spar with Killer B, who is like the most powerful Jinchuriki out there. All of this is well…. Not expected but it doesn't change anything."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Explain that why don't you."

"Sure." He held up a hand, counting off on his fingers. "First, I'm a Jinchuriki, which makes me a target. Second, I'm one of the last Uzumaki… which also makes me a target. Third I'm well versed in sealing… which makes me both super valuable to the village, but paints _another_ target on my back. Fourth I'm male so being captured by another village means that they aren't stuck waiting a generation to have my bloodline well distributed." He frowned at that. "Tayuya, you could still be used the same way, but can only have so many children at the same time."

"Fifth, I'm close to tons of people all over the world from my missions and traveling with Pervy Sage… which makes me a good bargaining chip. _All_ of this paints a freaking huge red bull's eye on me and adding in Yuki clan bloodline…. That's not going to make it any worse than it already is… Unless Kiri decides that the Yuki bloodline belongs to them or something. And I still don't see how that would work out or how it changes my position."

He looked at the three of them. "This is just another part of Naruto Uzumaki. Me. I'm not going to make a big deal about it and as far as I'm concerned let the world know. I'm gonna be famous after the end of the Exams anyway."

"What are you planning Naruto?" Tsunade looked wary.

"Uh… does Hirashin ring any bells? If that doesn't get their attention nothing will. Before the year is out they'll be calling me the second coming of the Yellow Flash! Believe it Granny!"

She groaned and turned to the machine again, imputing the third vial from Tayuya. "I'm fairly sure that you'd end up with that nickname, exams or not. You've used Hirashin in front of every Kage in the Elemental nations intentionally or not. They know what you have now. Keeping you safe is going to be like filling a bucket with a hole in the bottom."

A few moments later Tsunade grumbled to herself about Naruto and his ability to defy the laws of _common sense_ and _reason_ as she drew another sample of blood from Tayuya. She waited while the results processed and then snatched the third and final paper from the back of the blood tester. She scanned down the list.

"Okay… not exactly a lot in the way of surprises. Ninty something percent Uzumaki… It looks like you have the potential to use chakra chains… That's somewhat surprising since it usually takes someone with extreme amounts of chakra to use them. And as for bloodlines it says you have the typical Uzumaki ones. Advanced regeneration, the ability to manipulate your physical chakra outside your body without using the other half, which is exactly what allows you to use chakra chains. And….."

Tsunade's jaw dropped and her eyes flicked up to glance quickly between the two redheads. "Magnet release…."

Tayuya had been nodding until she came to that last part. Then her eyes popped open wide.

"WHAT?!/ What?"

Tayuya and Garra spoke up at the exact same time, both jumping to their feet as they did so. Tayuya was shocked and Gaara looked alarmed and suspicions.

"Hokage… what do you mean by… Magnet release."

Tsunade grimaced and handed her fellow Kage the paper. Gaara scanned the list before his own pale eyes widened imperceptibly. "It's true… apparently the two of us are related… cousins. From what I see here you only have a very small fraction of Subaku blood in you, which makes your blood line far more unlikely than even Naruto's." He glanced at Naruto. "Looks like you've been outdone."

"Wait! I call bullshit! How can I have that bloodline?! I'm originally from Iwa. I was an orphan since I was six. How do I have a bloodline that the royal family of Suna uses?! That doesn't make any sense! And I know I wasn't kidnapped or any of that shit so how?!" Tayuya was shouting at Tsunade who simply shook her head.

"Hey! Gaara, finally found you!"

Tayuya, along with everyone else in the room suddenly froze at the thought of someone overhearing them. Naruto leaned over to the side to see who was standing in the now open doorway.

"Oh? It's Kankuro! How ya been doing?"

"Fine I guess." The young man replied, looking mildly curious as to why the four of them were here of all places. He was dressed in his usual black body suit, though it looked as though it had been recently armored. Crow was absent from his back, as were his other puppets. However… what was there happened to be a large scroll.

Naruto eyed it for a moment before asking, "You think you could help us out Kankuro?" Tsunade and Tayuya's jaws dropped at what they thought he was about to say, but Gaara nodded.

"Um… with what? And why are you all looking at me like that? Is this some secret I'm not supposed to know?"

Tsunade jerked her head in the affirmative, but Gaara held up a hand to placate her. "Actually Hokage, my brother can help. His duty in your village currently is reconciling your historical records with our own. I believe if was Temari or Shikamaru's idea originally, but Kankuro has taken particular interest in how the noble and royal families of the villages are linked. Suna and Konoha specifically of course."

"That true?" Tsunade turned to regard him fully. "If it is get your ass in here."

Kankuro shrugged and entered the room, closing the door behind him. He glanced at Naruto and Tayuya who were sitting on one of the hospital beds. Gaara was seated by himself now, having dropped back into his chair. Tsunade was leaning on a large machine, giving him a piercing look. He mentally shivered and had to remind himself that he wasn't in trouble. Then he tucked his hands in his pockets and looked to his brother.

"So Gaara, what do you guys need to know. I haven't finished my research into the subject yet. I only just managed to work through the huge mess concerning our own family tree."

"That's what we need to know about Kankuro." Garra crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he did so. Tayuya here is a nearly full blooded Uzumaki, yet when her blood work was done it was discovered she has the potential for Magnet release. Which is something that should be impossible, is it not?"

Tayuya nodded. "Right! You got any answers for us or not Cat-boy?!"

"What did you call me?"

Gaara sighed. "Ignore it Kankuro and tell us what you know of the Subaku's connection to the Uzumaki clan."

"Tsk… Fine. As far as I know we're pretty closely related to the Uzumaki clan. Two of the four previous Kazekage have been married to Uzumaki, the first and third to be specific. I'm not completely sure of the reasons as the records we have aren't very specific, but the First Kazekage married a close cousin to Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the first Kazekage."

Kankuro scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose it could actually have a lot to do with the Subaku bloodline. Magnet release requires a passive ability to control millions upon millions of separate particles, whether it's sand, gold dust, or iron sand like the Third Kazekage. The Uzumaki were famous for their ability to work complex seals involving hundreds of different Kanji that mixed in infinite ways. It's easy to assume that the Uzumaki clan's marriage to the First Kazekage made a dramatic improvement to our talent with the style. Even if the bloodline its self didn't improve, our ability to make efficient use of it probably did. In addition to that Magnet release is notorious for its chakra usage. Gaara is quickly becoming known as a rival to the Third Kazekage only because he has the chakra to keep fighting when other Magnet users would have exhausted themselves."

Tayuya's eyebrows furrowed as she glared at him. "But I'm not from Suna. I'm from Iwa. How does that work, especially with the fact that I have so much Uzumaki. I couldn't be part Subaku and still have over 90% Uzumaki blood." She pointed to Tsunade. "She said it herself before you came in. She should have Wood Release, but she doesn't and she can trace a direct unbroken line to the First Hokage."

"Well I don't know about that, but even the First Hokage's children didn't have Wood Release. So… I suppose she never had the chance to inherit that bloodline. But as to why you have it when you're from Iwo…. That actually makes perfect sense to me."

"Wha…?"

"Let me explain. The first Kazekage was the first Subaku we know of to marry an Uzumaki, but that might not be true. For all we know we might be branched off from one another. It's impossible to say since the Warring Clans era was so badly recorded. But your case is easy to explain. You see the First Kazekage had three children. One son, who became the Second Kazekage, and two daughters." Kankuro frowned. "Sometime after the First Kazekage died and the Second was nominated, one of the daughters disappeared. At the time we believed that she ran away because she was a candidate for the Shukaku's sealing."

Naruto scratched the back of his head confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it because she didn't run away, she was kidnapped by Iwa…" Kankuro walked further into the room and pulled up a chair to sit in before continuing. "From there the records get sketchy, but it's obvious that the Second Kazekage knew what happened. He must have had some plan in mind, but I don't know what it could have been. The point is that she was used to breed a new generation of Magnet users in Iwa."

Tsunade held up a hand to stop him. "So…" She sounded rather disbelieving. "If they've had Magnet release this whole time why haven't they ever revealed it?"

"Don't know the answer to that, however if what I mentioned about the Uzumaki clan shoring up the Subaku bloodline was correct then Iwa probably had problems with obtaining a viable Magnet release. Obviously they would have problems since the Uzumaki blood would be diluted with each new generation. And the Uzumaki clan has never been a very trusting clan. They only sided with Konoha in the beginning because the daughter of the Clan's leader married the First Hokage."

Leaning back in his chair Kankuro gestured to Tayuya. "If my guess is right, she is probably a cast off of Iwa's Magnet release project. Everyone knows that Iwa has the least sophisticated medical equipment. It's doubtful that they could reliably judge who had inherited Magnet release or not."

"That doesn't explain how I have over 90% Uzumaki blood in me Cat-boy." Tayuya said, frowning."

"Actually that's easy to explain. I seriously doubt that the reason for their failure to master Magnet release was lost on Iwa. They probably knew they needed fresh Uzumaki blood every few generations to keep the bloodline fresh and strong. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it may have contributed to why they attacked the village of Uzu and destroyed it with Kumo and Kiri. It was their only real chance to capture multiple Uzumaki alive. She's probably got so much Uzumaki blood because they were trying to see just how much Uzumaki heritage they needed to raise a competent Magnet user."

Everyone was silent for several minutes as they digested this information. Gaara was impassive, but was looking at Tayuya was a curious glint in his eyes. Just how powerful could she be if she was almost entirely Uzumaki? How much did hers and Naruto's heritage affect the potency of the Subaku bloodline? And just how closely were they related?

Kankuro glanced between his brother who was still watching Tayuya… and Tayuya who's eyes were cast down to the floor in deep thought. Then he looked to the Hokage. She was standing with furrowed brow, obviously wondering about the political ramifications of this information. How would the other nations react to her or Konoha when they found out they had Magnet release in their grasp. Suna wouldn't object for obvious reasons. Gaara had at least some faith in the Hokage and he certainly trusted Naruto.

So the real question was how Iwa and Kumo reacted. Kiri wasn't as big a threat as they used to be after coming out of their bloody civil war. Kumo would likely stay neutral sine they didn't have a real reason to object to it. Although they would most likely try their best to get their hands on such a powerful bloodline. Iwa on the other hand would be the most dangerous. While they couldn't insist on the return of their Shinobi, seeing how it would be a double standard. They wouldn't be able to demand Tayuya back seeing how she was only there in the first place because of a kidnapping. However they would almost certainly try to kill her or steal her away. If only because they would know they had a viable Magnet user in their grasp who was also a full blooded Uzumaki.

Kankuro finally glanced to Naruto and stiffened.

Naruto jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into fists, the knuckles gone white. The blond looked up to meet Kankuro's eyes.

"So…" Naruto's eyes flashed red. "If Tayuya-chan is 90% Uzumaki… and she was taken in by Orochimaru… that means that Iwa still has captive Uzumaki… _right?_ "

"That's possible." Kankuro allowed. "But they'd likely be impossible to reach. I know you grew up as an orphan Naruto, but you can't try to rescue every Uzumaki that might be out there."

Naruto's demeanor changed instantly, his eyes turning back to an icy blue. A deathly grin pulled over his lips. "There isn't any _try_ about it. I _will_ find the rest of my clan if they're out there. _No one_ is going to stop me from doing that."

Gaara, Tsunade, and Tayuya all looked at him as he growled low in his throat. "I refuse to let anyone keep my family for that purpose." Naruto stood. "I'm going to train. I'd prefer if no one interrupted me."

A flash of yellow light and he was gone.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Four figures stood in a cavernous room, their pale faces dancing and jumping in the hash blue light cast by their flickering bodies. The four spectral beings spoke in normal tones, but each exchange held a tension that was a dead give away to their relationship. They were enemies, brought together for a common purpose.

 ** _"_** ** _It's the perfect opportunity to capture the Onetails. As he leaves Konoha he will be an easy target with little or nothing in the way of protection!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _True, but such a battle will be obvious for many miles around. Reinforcements from Konoha would not be easy to deal with. Their reputation for the strongest village is well earned. Their Genin consistently outdo those of other villages, as do their Chunin and Jonin. It won't be as easy as your escape from Iwa."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Cha! As if anyone could compete with my art! I can take the Kazekage alone. No problem. Just let me at him when he leaves the village!"_**

A grunt of condescension came from one of the figures, a short, hunched over man with a blade like tail. **_"_** ** _You idiot… Your 'art' would draw more attention than anyone here. Such flashy techniques would get us found in moments."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And they'd be destroyed just as quickly!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Or you'd blow yourself up. Just like I've always said you would."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hey who are you talking to? You overgrown sand scorpion!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _-sigh- Would both of you shut up. It's getting on my nerves. If I hear another smart ass comment I'll feed you to my sword."_**

 ** _"_** ** _As if you could…. Whatever ne…"_**

They went silent again as the last member of the foursome spoke. **_"_** ** _Sasory… you will go with Deidara to take the Onetails. Kisame and I will distract the leaf and then vanish. These are Pein's orders. I don't think he would take kindly to being disobeyed._**

 ** _"_** ** _Then let's get on with it!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Finally we agree on something, I hate waiting."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Very well. Itachi, let's head out and see if we can have some fun before the mission."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Do what you like. I have business to attend to."_**

 ** _"_** ** _If you say so. I'm gone."_**

Three of the four figured vanished in the crackle of static. The last member rubbed at his eyes before at last vanishing himself.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **That's a wrap. See, told you there would be some revelations. Naruto has ice release! Hooray! But unlike the normal Ice release I intend on making Naruto's a bit different. After all shenbon just aren't his style. And for those of you who think this makes him too OP, well… I have plans for that. Anyway, you can trust me, the writer! (right?)**

 **Also! I'm taking suggestions on what kind of metal sand Tayuya will use in the future! Speaking of which….. Actually no. This is a completely different subject, but what the hell?**

 **I've written about ten-thousand words of a 'Strike the Blood' story and want to know if you guys out there had watched the anime and want me to post it once I have the chance. It's yet another one of those projects I have. Keep in mind it isn't a cross over and Naruto won't be involved.**

 **And on a Bleach related note, I have had my pole up for a while and I can't help but notice that Yuroichi and Orihime have far more than their fair share of votes. Are you all being realistic? I mean, is there no one else you would highly recommend? I'm not doing a Naruto/Orihime pairing. I minds as well just bring Hinata out of the Naruverse if I'm pairing him with a super shy girl who hardly speaks and doesn't have a big role.**

 **I was expecting more support for the other less used girls… but I guess there aren't as many jaded Bleach fans out there as I thought. Oh well….**

 **Anyway, you should all know how much I enjoy reviews so het to it! Remember how quick this came? Reviews speed up the writing process!**


	10. Chapter 9 - Frost

**The next chapter is here everyone! And it's a good and glorious one at that!... just lacking in fight scenes. Now quickly onto the reader responses before the story starts.**

 **ArtanisRose** **: Hm… them merging huh? Well, no spoilers but maybe….**

 **Dfields3710** **: Um, well, no. Storm release might have suited him element wise, but that a Kumo bloodline and I'm trying to link him to Kiri in a specific way. Besides I've already got a story where Naruto uses that. As for the Shikotsumyaku I don't think it's a good idea to give Naruto the dead bone pulse. It just doesn't suit him. Besides, even Dark Naruto isn't a homicidal maniac like the majority of the Kaguya clan. Kimimaro is an exception to the normal rule.**

 **SParc781** **(and many others) : Now… I don't mean to be rude or anything but….. WHERE THE HELL IS TAYUYA SUPPSED TO GET ADAMANTIUM!? Sheesh! Adamantium sealing chains aren't actually metal at all. They are chakra constructs made out of extremely dense and potent chakra few outside the Uzumaki are capable of. And even then only those with the sheer willpower to use them can.**

 **Now I'm not absolutely saying its out because it does sound awesome, but where the hell am I supposed to just come up with enough Adamantium for her to use? It's one of the mythological elements like Mithral. It doesn't really exist outside manga or comics. So unless I have a random meteor land after the Chunin exams…. Yeah… I'll be happy to use adamantium, but you guys have to give me a plot line for it.**

 **And that's it for reader responses except for… "Strike the Blood" Yep most people seem to want it so I will post it in a few days. It mostly follows canon main events, but changes greatly later on.**

 **(I don't own Naruto)**

 **Now lets get this show on the road**

 ** _Chapter 9_**

 ** _Ooo_**

Two days. It was two days until the Final test of the Chunin exams. And everyone was on edge, one Tayuya Uzumaki in particular. For one thing she was nervous about what Naruto was up to. He'd been gone for the better part of the three weeks since the blood test. She'd scarcely seen the real him. Only his clones and they weren't informative. In fact they were singularly moody most of the time. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to miss that stupid ass goofy grin of his.

For another thing she was nervous about her own training. It was coming along quickly, but still. It was nerve wracking. Gaara was the most unnerving person she'd ever met, above and beyond Orochimaru. At least her old master you could know what he was thinking. That evil pedo-chuckle gave everything away usually. Gaara rarely gave away even the slightest bit of information. Reading his body language was like trying to read fucking tea leaves. And she hated tea more than the idea of missing that stupid blond.

On a better note she'd learned how to use magnet release. It was actually far easier than she'd thought it would be. Apparently something to do with her Uzumaki heritage of course, but still. It was cool to be able to attack or block without ever moving or forming a single handseal. Not that she was capable of doing it to anywhere near the extent Gaara could. His impenetrable defense was a vicious weapon as well as an unbreakable shield. Her own sand defense was only enough to block minor jutsu or stop weak Taijutsu. Gaara said it was because she had a stronger connection to the lightning element than wind and probably needed metal sand of some kind to harness her full potential.

She was looking forward to it, but at the same time… would she have to carry a bid freaking jug of iron sand or something similar like he did? That would suck!

But all of that was secondary to Naruto. He was her big problem simply because of who he was. She'd never admit it, but she was a _little_ worried about him. He wasn't even sleeping in his own bed, which most likely meant he was either staying awake for days at a time or he was training till he dropped from sheer exhaustion. That couldn't be healthy…. Not that she actually cared about his health… much…

Tayuya's stomach growled, interrupting her paranoid musings. She grumbled to herself and slipped out of bed, already knowing that there wasn't anything to eat in the house besides instant ramen… and while it was alright… she would never be addicted to it like the blond. Which of course meant that she had to go shopping if she wanted something else….

"Fuck my life for having to shop… grrr…" She grimaced and moved to her dresser, grabbing a pair of black shorts and a red shirt. She got dressed as fast as she could before snatching her beanie from the top of the dresser and leaving the apartment.

She jumped from the third floor where their shared room was, landing on the street below. She turned on her heel and started in the direction of the market district, her stomach still growling audibly.

 **Ooo**

Ten minutes later she was combing through the market stalls looking for ingredients to make something wholesome… and at the same time simple enough that she could make it with her meager skills. As ironic as it was, about the only thing she could really make well was ramen, but that came from having such an over abundance of the stuff in the house all the time. She despised cooking for herself for the most part and had gotten used to Naruto making her food for her… He wasn't a bad cook either…

 _"_ _Damn blond ass hole trying to turn me into some pathetic housewife. If he wasn't so overpowered and clueless I'd beat his ass for it. But he doesn't even know what he's doing half the time."_ She sighed and bagged what she needed before paying with some cash Naruto's clone left her that morning.

After that she decided to get some meat for later. _"_ _But that always means going by that stupid flower shop and that loudmouthed bitch who's always asking stupid ass questions. I guess I could take another rout, but something always happens to come back and bite me in the ass later. I hate this village and it's karma."_

Deciding to just go along with it, Tayuya took the most direct route to the local butcher shop… only to be suddenly set upon.

As she turned the corner to go down the side street a white and red blur blazed down the street behind her, stopping beside her in a great plume of dust. She waved her hand in front of her face and took an agitated step back. "Hey!? WTF?!"

The dust settled, revealing the form of a man… A very tall man with shockingly white and spiky hair, tied back in a long ponytail. He was easily the most odd looking person she'd even seen, and that included Sakon and Kidomaru. _"_ _Kami damn them to a place lower than hell…"_ This man looked fifty if he was a day, with dark eyes and tanned skin. He had two red tattoos going down from his eyes on either side for some reason… and…

Her eyes dropped to take in his clothes, which were garish to be sure. He was wearing a great maroon vest over a green… something with lot of green and gold embroidery. Under that though was mesh shirt and what looked like the hard muscle. She took another step back and made a handseal behind her back, then stopped. He was wearing a headband with the kanji for Oil…

Tayuya's eyes went wide as she realized just who she was staring at, even as _he_ did a flamboyant bow and produced a rose from _somewhere._ She really didn't want to know where it came from.

"Ah hello! My fine specimen of the fairer sex. How might I help you this day?! Could I perhaps assist you with carrying those groceries?"

Tayuya resisted the urge to let her jaw drop comically. Then she realized exactly what he was doing. _He_ straightened, giving her a ten thousand Kilowatt smile that reminded her rather unnervingly of Naruto and decided to introduce himself. Something that wasn't necessary in the least. She knew who he was alright. Even if Orochimaru hadn't told her to beware of his old teammate, Naruto talked about him enough for her to know him on sight.

"You may be wondering who I am! In fact I am none other tha…"

"I know who you are. What do you want?"

Jiraiya of the Sannin stopped dead. "Y..you actually know who I am already?" He seemed astonished, as though her wasn't famous the world over. Though admittedly less for his skill in combat than one might think.

"Yes! you overzealous toad faced son of a perverted bitch! You're Jiraiya of the fucking Sannin and I know all about you! And I'm not in the mood to talk to lame perverts trying to hit on me! I must be thirty years younger than you for kami's sake so fuck off!"

People in the street had stopped to stare, some of which who knew of his reputation and history chuckled at what might have been the hardest rejection he'd ever received. Jiraiya for his part was looking at her with a slack jaw.

"Uh…. Pardon me…." He said uneasily. "I didn't mean to cause offence. Is this a bad time?"

She raised one eyebrow. "That depends. Are you looking for Naruto or were you genuinely hitting on me. If it's the first one it's a bad time for me since I don't know where the fuck he went to. If it's the second one then it's a bad time for _you."_ She glared at him. "Now which is it? I haven't been able to cut loose on anyone in three weeks and I'm starting to get agitated."

"I um… Well, it's not what you thin….. I mean…" His eyes widened. "Wait, what did you say about Naruto?! How do you know him?"

Tayuya rolled her eyes angrily and started walking back down the street. "I'm his girlfriend moron. Maybe you should go jump off a cliff before he catches you hitting on me. Pervy sage was pretty damn accurate. I guess I should give him credit for being dead on the money next time I see him." She gave a mocking salute to him over one shoulder as she made her way out of his sight.

He took after her only to feel the ground underneath him shift, causing him to fall flat on his face in the street. Several watchers laughed at him. It was pretty hilarious to watch the world famous Sannin trip on nothing.

Twenty feet away, turning into the butcher shop, Tayuya snickered quietly. That guy really was as pathetic as Naruto claimed. _"_ _Maybe I should tell Naruto he was trying to hit on me. That would be fun to watch."_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tsunade sat at her desk battling against the sworn enemy of all Kage, paperwork. And currently she was winning. Thank the gods for small miracles. With all of the income that the Chunin exams were bringing in, not many complaints were coming in. At least not for funding anyway. Demands that visiting Shinobi pay for damages to various claims continued to stream in constantly, but that at least, Shizune could deal with. It allowed her a rare time of ease before the epic shit-storm that would be the end of the Exams.

Unfortunately any extra time she would normally have taken to get slobbering drunk was instead used to take care of other…. _Problems._ Mainly problems caused directly or indirectly by Naruto. For instance the lovely little mess he made with the blood work. His having Ice Release was a sore point with her, especially after he up and vanished without a trace. Tayuya's link to the Subaku family was a mixed blessing. It was good because she'd had Naruto marry a descendant from the royal family of Suna, all be it unintentionally. But it was also a royal pain in her ass because the Kazekage insisted on training her with Magnet Release while he was within the village. And that in turn alerted Danzo, which meant that her two _advisors_ were in on it as well. The next thing she knew, she was having to fend off the pathetic attempt to manipulate the girl, Naruto, her, the Kazekage, and the situation as a whole.

If her advisors were any less helpful she'd be tempted to hang them for attempting to destabilize Konoha by giving her a migraine.

But all of that was icing on the original cake…. Naruto. That blond could stir up a hornet's nest just by blinking, heavens forbid he actually try to stir the proverbial pot. With him gone, presumably to train, she was stuck keeping ten ANBU observing Tayuya at all hours of the night and day. Why?

Because when she'd come back from doing the blood work and speaking with the Kazekage and his brother… she'd found a message scroll on her desk, rolled up as a cork for her best sake bottle. The message had made one thing perfectly clear. One; Naruto knew that Danzo didn't have his best interests at heart. And two; if Naruto found out that Danzo did anything _at all_ to harm Tayuya in _any way_ he would _tear_ the village apart brick by brick until he had Danzo's corpse in a body bag.

It was becoming increasingly clear that even if Naruto's alter ego wasn't in charge, the innocent little boy was growing up. He was still as stubborn as a deaf Iwa Shinobi, but he was starting to act like his parents more and more. He had Kushina's possessiveness and overprotective attitude towards those he cared for… and he had Minato's no nonsense reaction to threats. Most who had known the Fourth thought he was a brilliant if laid back man. She knew better. Minato Namikaze was easy going sometimes, but when it came down to his loved ones, he'd made more than one ultimatum… and carried them out too. Most of Iwa could attest to that.

Tsunade wouldn't personally mind if Naruto killed Danzo in front of the whole village. The bastard had it coming ten times over, but she didn't need an infuriated Uzumaki/jinchuriki dismantling Konoha looking for the slippery bastard.

A tap at her shoulder caused Tsunade to look up from her paperwork. A second later the door to her office opened… and she sent the largest book in arms reach flying through it.

WHAM!

"Ouch!"

"Damn it Jiraiya! From this moment on you are banned from leaving the village under any and all circumstances! I don't care if Kami herself wants a copy if Icha-Icha! I needed your ass for the last month and you were off on a STUPID RESEARCH TRIP!"

The collapsed form of the Toad sage raised one hand in a very sloppy horizontal salute. "Yes hime… Understood."

 **Ooo**

Twenty minutes later he was reading the letter Naruto left for her, while looking over the results of the blood work. His expression constantly shifting between shock, worry, and something akin to fear. He quickly dropped the paper with the blood work. His eyes traveled over the letter one more time as he read aloud.

 _-Tsunade_

 _I want you to know something. I don't care what you think of me for it and I don't care how anyone else feels about it. When I got back to the apartment earlier that Danzo guy had found Tayuya and threatened her. I know you don't trust her still, but if I ever find out that guy is EVER responsible for hurting her. I will murder him. I will not try to make friends. I will not ask what he was thinking or try to make him see the light. I will rip him apart and I swear by the necklace you gave me, No one will stop me._

 _P.S. I know that he has others working for him. If he hurts her, I won't stop with him.-_

Jiraiya lowered the message and glanced at Tsunade. "Naruto sure has changed in that short time since I left… I honestly have no idea what happened. He hardly changed at all during the training trip. From what you say, he taught himself sealing, Hirashin, is making new seals that even I haven't thought up. He apparently copied the Hyuuga fighting style and enhanced it with Lightning chakra… _"_ _When he doesn't have lighting release to begin with…"_ He's somehow managed to get Ice Release from Minato even though I should have known that Minato didn't have it. Hell, I trained him."

"On top of that he's developed a bloodthirsty alternate personality, made some arrangement with the Kyuubi, and has decided that he's going to make himself famous in the final test." Jiraiya frowned. "You've told me what happened and when…. But you haven't told me why." He eyed her carefully. "I want to know why Naruto is so protective of that girl, when and why he developed a split personality, and finally, why he's suddenly acting like his parents instead of a bone headed kid."

Tsunade shook her head. "On that first one it's most likely the fact that he sees her as the only family he has."

"You mean the fact that you made the two of them marry secretly? I bet that went over well. How much shit did Naruto give you over that?"

"Not very much. It was either marry the girl or have Danzo be given the opportunity to do what he wants with her. I didn't need to do much in the way of convincing. And she's smart as a whip with a sharp tongue to boot. The choice was fairly obvious for her too. As I said, she's his family. And this…." She gestured to the letter. "That proves just how attached he's become to her."

"She's a former member of Orochimaru's elite guard, the Sound Five. Is she…?"

"She's trustworthy enough and she has a firm grasp of common sense unlike Naruto…. Although that might be changing as we speak."

Jiraiya shook his head. "That's not what I was about to ask. I was asking if there was any change Naruto developed actual feelings for the girl."

"I seriously doubt it. Fondness for family sure… he's friendly enough even to his enemies, but no…" Tsunade chuckled dismissively. "I don't believe those two would ever be romantically involved. They're like oil and water. And not to mention her habit of cursing him out without the slightest provocation."

"But she referred to herself as Naruto's girlfriend."

"That's their cover. Until they fulfill the terms of their agreement or decide to make it official, they are publicly only dating. Privately they're married as I already explained. So I doubt it meant anything when she said that." She leaned back in her chair crossing her arms. "Anyway, it almost seems to me like you were hoping they _were_ romantically involved, which would probably be more bad than good with Naruto's recent change in personality. If he's this protective over her just because they're family… how far would he go for someone he was genuinely infatuated with?"

"Yeah… I see what you're saying, but I can't help but wish he had _someone."_ Jiraiya sighed painfully. "All of this wouldn't be so bad if there was someone he could cling to, but there just isn't. None of his friends are close enough to help heal the wounds that are there. In a sense all of the friends he's made are only acting as pain-killers. He's never healed from the injuries he suffered to his psyche. I just wish I could tell him what he needs to hear. I would have already broken the rules and told him about Minato… but I'm not at all sure how he would react."

"I know the feeling."

Both of them looked at each other, their thoughts running along similar lines.

"I'll stay in the village and keep an eye on them."

"You better."

He nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Tsunade grimaced and returned to her paperwork. Her talk with Jiraiya had given her much more to think about. It turned out that Jiraiya hadn't really done much more than improve Naruto's chakra control and fine tune his ability to control the Kyuubi, even though they hadn't made much progress. However Jiraiya mentioned that Naruto had been trying to create new variants on the Rasengan…. She'd have to keep an eye on him because of that. No telling what damage he could do if he succeeded in adding an elemental change to that deadly jutsu.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto sighed, expelling a large cloud of steam. He was so… cold. _"_ _I might have overdone this… I shouldn't have tried to do this with Ice release. My body can't handle these temperatures…"_ Molding his chakra into the proper pattern, Naruto activated the Hirashin seal linked to his apartment. He needed to rest after training so long at the edge of chakra exhaustion. And he needed to get warm again.. He was _freezing._

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya opened the door to the apartment and stepped in. She quickly made her way to the kitchenette to set out what she'd bought. Then she activated the storage seals on her wrists. A small cloud of smoke dispersed around her to reveal the excess groceries she'd purchased. She turned to open the cupboard and stopped. She felt the temperature take a sudden massive dip, falling twenty degrees in an instant.

Tayuya whirled around just in time to see Naruto collapse to the floor like a stiff board. "Hey?! Naruto!" She didn't get any response and quickly put the food away before moving to his side and kneeling down. Nothing moved. He was unconscious.

She reached out to touch him and snatched her arm back. His skin was radiating a dense chill. It was like he had shoved himself inside a freezer for a few hours. His body was like a giant ice cube. Tayuya's eyes widened as she realized the cause. _"_ _Idiot! He was out training Ice Release without anyone else helping! How could he possibly know how a new Kekkei Genkai would react the first time he used it?! Shit. I need to get him warmed up before he turns into a shit head popsicle."_

Tayuya gritted her teeth and channeled Fire chakra through her hands as she grabbed him. It took several tries before he was in his bed. But he was still cold to the touch. She hurriedly made two shadow clones. One went to get the blankets off her bed. And the other moved to make some hot chocolate. She continued to pump heat into him through her palms, but it seemed to have a minimal effect. A minute passed and her clone had buried him under every blanket in the apartment… and the other one had two fresh mugs steaming. But she couldn't seem to wake him up!

Channeling yet more chakra she attempted to burn through whatever was keeping her from warming the blond up. It didn't work. Her clone to her left was muttering to herself in an agitated way, mimicking her original's frown.

It took a second for her to realize why she couldn't bring his body temperature up. Ice style was the use of Water and Fire Release in concert. Fire might have wind beat, but this wasn't wind alone. It was water as well. The two elements were now running rampant through Naruto's body and preventing the Fire chakra from helping much.

Tayuya cursed. "Fuck! You two keep heating him up!"

Her clones shared a glance and nodded, getting to work. Tayuya herself darted over to the table where all the Fuinjutsu equipment was. She pulled out ink and paper and slammed both on the table in front of her. As soon as she dipped a brush in the ink she froze…. Why did she care?

That thought chilled her as surely as Naruto was at the moment. Why did she care if he was hospitalized for abusing Ice Release? As long as he didn't die she was fine wasn't she. She didn't actually care for him. He was just a stupid ass who couldn't keep himself under control. There was no reason to help him right now. It wasn't like he would die. If he could fight the Eighttails then he would come out all right in the end….

Tayuya closed her eyes briefly. No… _"_ _I'm doing this because he would do the same for me. Damn it, little shit making me sentimental."_ Tayuya quashed the voice in her head telling her to leave Naruto alone and started to paint kanji. After ten minutes she finished and stood, blowing the paper dry even as she walked to Naruto. Her clones stepped aside as she pulled his shirt aside and slapped the makeshift seal over his heart. The effect was immediate.

Naruto's whole body twitched like he'd been shocked… and then he relaxed, his breath changing from white frost to mere cool air. Tayuya sat on the bed and touched his arm, which while still very cool, was no longer icy. She sighed. The chakra absorption seal worked after all. Not as well as she thought it would, but his chakra was more potent than most, even weakened. He was lucky that he was a jinchuriki. She didn't think any normal person would survive being frozen like that…

Tayuya sighed and dispelled her clones. She wasn't sure what to do now, but she figured it would be a good idea to stay with Naruto until he woke up. There was no telling what he would do when he was awake again. Knowing him he'd probably try to go out and train more… _"_ _Fucking lunatic… He'd chop his hand off to spite his arm when it comes to training. Is it going to be up to me to keep him in line from now on? I'm married to the idiot so that's probably a yes. The Hokage certainly can't control him worth a shit."_

Grumbling to herself, she covered Naruto back up with the blanket and grabbed one of the mugs of hot chocolate. She sipped it slowly as she waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Tayuya drained the rest of the second mug of hot chocolate and slammed it on the small table by the bed, her irritated/worried grimace falling on the blond after a good half an hour had already passed. _"_ _Bastard just won't wake up… He isn't even twitching now. Whatever the hell he was doing either took a massive toll on him or my guess about him training for days without sleeping was dead accurate. What the fuck do I have to do to wake him up?!"_

She rubbed her brow, pulling off her cap and smoothing her hands through her hair. This was not what she wanted to do today. If things went the way she wanted, she'd be working on her sealing again, not babysitting her overpowered and yet mostly incompetent pseudo-husband.

After a few more minutes of watching him _breathe_ she grew tired of waiting and gave a sharp chop to the side of his head. _"_ _He STILL didn't wake up!"_ Tayuya growled and pumped a small amount of lightning chakra into her fingertips… and then jolted him in the arm.

Naruto rolled over.

 _"_ _BASTARD!"_ Tayuya howled with rage and grabbed pulled the covers back to wrench at his jacket. "Wake up piss-for-brains before I turn them to ash with a fireball!"

He grabbed her wrist. She glanced down, realizing he was still asleep. "Still can't wake up, but you're unconscious body apparently has some retarded self defense routine. I guess this is progress though…" Tayuya pried his fingers off of her wrist… or tried to. In actuality his hand stayed firmly attached.

Tayuya's eyes narrowed. "Grrr….. Let go jackass…"

Naruto didn't respond… _again_! Infuriated Tayuya wrenched her arm back, only to curse as Naruto's arm pulled back, dragging her forward instead. She let out a muffled shout into the blankets as she pushed herself up with her other hand. The stupid blond was STILL asleep. It galled her that he possessed the nerve to lay there, snoozing, and still manage to be more irritating than most people were awake! It pissed her off that he could be so treacherous when he wasn't even conscious! And it pissed her off even more that she allowed herself to be pissed off by someone who was asleep!

Her primal growl turned into a shriek as Naruto's rolled over, the movement pulling her over him and into the space between him and the wall. Tayuya bared her teeth in a reasonable (at least for her) attempt to bite his throat out. Her attempt to murder him was cut short by his other arm wrapping around her waist.

Her face abruptly glowed red as her anger flipped off like a light switch. She registered the feeling of now very warm breath over the nape of her neck and the ridiculously strong arm curling her against him. Tayuya tried to pulled free, channeling chakra into her arms. But her sleeping jailer only pulled tighter. She gritted her teeth and strained to get out of his grip.

A second later she grudgingly gave up and relaxed. Naruto, as if sensing her surrender, shifted. Tayuya squirmed a bit, barely managing to turn around. She twisted her head to look at his face. Her breath caught in her throat. He looked so… She shook her head hard, dispelling whatever compliment might have been coming to the forefront of her mind. He wasn't handsome… he might have looked damned peaceful but that was it….

Tayuya found her grimace slipping as she let her head drop back down. Again, this was not how she'd envisioned spending the day, but it seemed fate had other things planed She'd just have to lay here until his grip loosened or he woke up. Not so bad….. Tayuya closed her eyes. There wasn't any point staring up at the ceiling for kami knew how long. _"_ _Minds as well take a nap too while I'm stuck here…"_

 **Ooo**

 **Oooooo**

 **Ooo**

Standing in the middle of a wide training field south of Konoha, Gaara waited. He'd been standing here for nearly three hours and Tayuya hadn't shown up to train. He wasn't sure what to make of that. She'd been on time for every other training session. Point in fact, she was usually early. So what had prompted this sudden absence? Tayuya didn't strike him as the kind of girl to leave him out here for hours on end without any explanation…

Gaara scratched his chin in thought. Perhaps it had something to do with Naruto. They were married after all. It was perfectly reasonable to assume that they were busy doing something together. Or perhaps it was as simple as her sleeping in. Even he was susceptible to such things these days. After mastering Shukaku to some degree his occasional naps were bliss. He certainly couldn't fault anyone else for grabbing a little extra shut eye.

Although… he didn't feel Naruto's chakra at the moment, which was strange. Every day for the past two weeks he could sense the surge of his friend's chakra about now. And today it was strangely absent. Gaara frowned slightly and glanced around the training field once more. Then he started to walk back into the village. He'd check their apartment first. And then Ichiraku. Temari had told him that was Naruto's favorite hangout. How she knew that he didn't know, but it was probably Shikamaru.

Then again… how someone so lazy could even be that observant he had no understanding of.

He sighed inwardly as he continued on his way, wishing he understood _people_ just a bit better than he did.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Back in the village Jiraiya had finally finished speaking with his old acquaintance Mei, the Mizukage. It was refreshing to speak with her again. Refreshing but…. scary. Mei could be just plain frightening sometimes. Especially with that selective hearing problem.

She was almost as old as he was, but _somehow_ retained her youth. Easily the hottest woman in the Elemental Nations anywhere near Kage level. It was no wonder Tsunade hated her, or at least hated Mei's seeming immunity to the ravages of time.

Jiraiya sighed happily. Besides that, it was always good to meet with new corruptible young boys. One free signing of an Icha-icha book and he had another lifelong customer! He enjoyed the look on Ao's face when Chojuro pulled out a brand new copy of Make-out tactics. HA! So his valuable words were getting through to the next generation! Even in countries savaged by war!

He just wished his favorite blond student would have taken at least some small interest in his work. It would have made things _soooo_ much easier on him. The way Naruto collected female admirers was a bit unfair in his opinion. The kid didn't even appreciate all the attention he got! He'd had at least three girls take an interest in him during the training trip and he didn't so much as get a kiss out of it! Not even that minuscule concession. Truly he was hopeless when it came to women.

Then again… Minato would probably be cracking up in his grave if he knew. His sensei, who lusted eternally, never got laid or even had any females take interest in him. But his son, who had half a dozen girls who liked him. Maybe even one or two who were _obsessed,_ didn't have any inclination to take advantage of it at all! Priceless….

Jiraiya silently sobbed at the thought of all the hot moments in his godson's life, he'd never get to write about. Then a thought popped into his head and he turned on his heel in the middle of the street. He took off in the opposite direction heading for Naruto's apartment. It was time to do some catching up, man to man….

 **Ooo**

Jiraiya landed on the third floor of the apartment building and moved to the door. It looked as though he'd replaced the door since last time he'd been there. _"_ _I kinda figured with how that Haruno girl acts. She's turning into a miniature Tsunade."_ He raised one hand to knock, but stopped. Some sixth sense told him that a good story scene was close. He could almost smell it on the breeze.

 _"_ _No… Naruto you lucky devil. You wouldn't… Tsunade-hime said you didn't have that kind of interest in you 'girlfriend'. Hm…. I wonder…"_

Activating his camouflage technique, Jiraiya snuck around to the other side of the apartment, glancing in windows… No good. All the windows were shuttered. _"_ _Oh, wait… That one isn't"_ He smirked and applied chakra to the soles of his feet and walked out on the side of the apartment that faced the street. Then he silently moved into position, peeking in the window and catching a glimpse inside the room.

Nothing… just a regular room, but from the angle he was at all he could see was the opposite wall and an empty bed, devoid of covers. A small table was set in the room, littered with what looked like Fuinjutsu. _"_ _So he has been practicing on his own. I already knew from hime, but it's good to have it confirmed."_ Jiraiya frowned. He could feel two presences inside the house with his limited sensory ability and they seemed close… but where were they? He grunted and pushed farther up, bringing the rest of the room into sight.

Jiraiya froze.

Just below him, less than two feet away on the other side of the glass… were Naruto and Tayuya. In the light from outside he could see the blond sleeping deeply, facing towards the window. But that wasn't what startled Jiraiya. No, what had him gaping was the petite red head currently wrapped up in his arms. The Toad Sage stared for several seconds unbelieving.

Nope, his eyes weren't deceiving him. Tayuya, the loud, vulgar, extremely abrasive girl who'd cursed him out in the street…. was laying back first up against Naruto's broad chest, her head just under his chin. Jiraiya registered the half annoyed smile curling the corner of her lips and the tight hold she had on Naruto's arm.

 _"_ _Well…. I'll be damned… Naruto actually is sleeping with a girl in the same bed… cuddling no less. I feel like…."_ Jiraiya paused in his thoughts, suddenly feeling forlorn. _"_ _That's it… I feel like I'm intruding. This feels too similar. I think… I think I need to get going."_

Jiraiya let himself drop from the side of the building to the street below. He quickly brushed himself off and turned away from the apartment building, wishing he could dispel the unpleasant memories that filtered through to him… Naruto… and her, there were too similar, to close to the Namikaze and Uzumaki he'd seen the same way twenty years before. It wasn't right for him to watch them. Not then anyway.

He shook his head dejectedly and walked off. He either needed a stiff drink or a co-ed hot-spring. And there weren't any of those in Konoha… so he'd have to settle for the former. Jiraiya turned his steps in the direction of Hokage's tower, feeling a great urge to annoy Tsunade rising up. Maybe that would keep his mind off Naruto and the secrets he had yet to learn the truth of.

 **Ooo**

Tayuya shifted, rolling over in bed. She felt so warm… Unconsciously she nuzzled her face into the source, desiring to sink back into the realm of sleep, but a muffled groan escaped her as she found herself being dragged unwillingly into wakefulness. Tayuya mumbled sleepily as something tightened around her waist. She shoved away the urge to get up and let her breathing slow again. A moment later she'd drifted off again.

It wasn't long after that when she was forcefully roused by a shifting and a low yawn. Tayuya cursed silently, already annoyed that someone woke her and ticked off that she'd been deprived of her warmth… " _Wait… what?"_ She blinked her eyes open. She was lying under the covers of a bed, but the warm… thing she'd been reluctant to leave had disappeared.

Tayuya turned her head, rolling onto her back as she did so…. and came face to face with Naruto, his azure eyes surprised and…. She didn't know what to make of his expression. It was so open and… chaotic, a dozen emotions all running through it at once.

He blinked slowly and rubbed at his eyes.

She didn't move, worried that he might try to… _"_ _Try to what? Kiss me or something?"_ Why would he do that? What could possibly make him want to unless it was the other him? And why in fucking Kami's name did _that_ pop into her mind the moment she saw him?! Tayuya was still frozen when Naruto shook his head and dropped back into bed muttering. One arm slipped around her again startling her sufficiently that she couldn't resist as he closed his eyes. She heard him muttering about dreams before his voice became inaudible again.

 _"_ _He just went back to sleep…. He just fucking went back to sleep…"_ Tayuya didn't know what to do. She genuinely didn't. Under normal circumstances she would have pummeled him into oblivion, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. She simply couldn't dredge up the angry indignation to strike the bastard. And even now! He was lying there with one arm around her pretending as though this was all a dream or some shit!

Tayuya's thoughts derailed at that. Did Naruto really assume this was a dream? The way he just muttered to himself and went back to sleep, it was almost like he'd…. like he'd dreamed that before. But she knew for certain that she'd only slept in the same bed with him once, and that was by accent. At the time she had been too exhausted to notice which bed she crawled into. So… _Does he really dream about me and him... sleeping like this? No… that's stupid, idiotic. Why would he ever dream something like that?"_

A soft knocking came from the apartment door, jolting her out of her thoughts. Tayuya sat up quickly… or tried to. Naruto's restricting arm pulled in closer into his broad chest. She was now quite aware of two things. First Naruto was stronger than her using chakra… without using his. And the second was that he was hot. Not in the sense of his looks, or maybe that too, but she realized that his body was giving off a substantial amount of heat. Quite contrary to the unnatural chill from a few hours earlier. It disturbed her, but not as much as the thought of someone… _anyone…_ catching them in bed together.

Tayuya prodded Naruto hard, earning a barely audible growl from him. This was followed by his curling slightly and pushing his face into the crook of her neck. Her face blazed red as he breathed out, heating her neck with his warm exhalation. She couldn't take _that_. The intimate feeling of him practically nuzzling her set off alarm bells in her head. She lashed out, smacking him hard upside the head and finally getting him to release her.

Naruto rolled out of bed with a breathless shout and a loud thump. Tayuya slipped out of bed too, shaking her head violently, trying the repress the crimson blush she _knew_ was there. It wasn't working. He cheeks still felt hot and her stomach was tying its self in knots, the sensation not as unpleasant as she wished it was.

By the time Naruto had sat up from the floor and collected himself, Tayuya was at the door. She glanced back at him as he grumbled. " _Good_ morning tiny violent one. Can I ask what the smack was for?" She ignored him and his annoyed/confused expression and sarcastic tone. Instead turning back to the door and wrenching it open with enough force to tear it off.

She was greeted by the somewhat surprised expressions on two faces. One being average height and female, the other being slightly less than and male. Tayuya immediately recognized them as Naruto pseudo-teammates, Tenten and Konohamaru. Both looked at her, their eyes quickly taking in her appearance. Tayuya did frowned.

"What do you want?"

"Well I uh…" Tenten's cheeks were ever so pink at the moment and she was glancing at the floor. Tayuya glanced at Konohamaru who had a drop of something red seeping out of his nose. Tayuya looked down at herself as Tenten finished…. "We were actually looking for Naruto… if you don't mind much…"

Tayuya didn't register what she said, instead distracted by the fact that she was wearing significantly less clothes than she'd thought. Somehow, during the short time she'd slept, she'd managed to kick her pants off as well as one sock. Her bra was missing… but that was perfectly logical. She was only a C-cup and didn't wear one. And her large T-shirt was hanging off one shoulder.

Her eyes rose to meet theirs again and her blush deepened… if that were possible. She realized that she looked like a literal hot mess. Her blushed skin, added to her state of dress, and crazy messy hair all came together to paint a false, but very convincing picture.

 _"_ _Fuck me…"_ she thought angrily. But then again… that's probably what they were assuming happened.

Tenten smiled sheepishly and stepped back. "Um, we can come back later if you want. It's no problem. We were just wondering if we could ask Naruto about the lineup for the Final Test…" She trailed off, nudging Konohamaru as she back away slowly.

The boy snapped out of the trance he'd been in and eyed his boss's girlfriend _once_ more. Then he wiped at his nose and stepped carefully away. She, seeming just as… if not more embarrassed, nodded and slammed the door. He glanced at Tenten. She glanced at him.

"Do don't think…?"

He nodded. "No doubt about it…"

She shook her head once and turned around. "I've got to tell Ino about this."

"Hey! Wait a sec for me!"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto stared at Tayuya, unable to form proper words once he actually was _looking_ at her. She stood in front of him, glaring, but at the same time blushing furiously. The expression making his chest hurt slightly… pleasantly…. The long red hair was disheveled and messy, almost as spiky as his at the moment. Her slender neck led down to her small shoulders which were only half covered by her crooked T-shirt. The same of kilter hem of the shirt showed of the lovely pale skin of her belly and the white of her panties. And below that… the smooth cream of her long legs.

Naruto's gaze was drawn down her body as his own cheeks darkened.

"Tayuya…chan…?"

"Shut up shithead.. and don't look at me!"

He turned his head away from her as she darted to the other side of the room to put on proper clothes. He glanced back at her as she pulled on a pair of black shorts. Naruto looked away quickly. He was confused. Why had he been woken by her hitting him? And why oh why was she in HIS bed?! It defiantly wasn't his fault this time. And… of all things why was she wearing nothing but panties and a too large T-shirt?!

The sight of her like that was more than enough to send Jiraiya through a wall on the back end of a nosebleed. For him… it was still hard not to think about… things. Especially when his instincts were shouting at him to close the distance and… _"_ _Damn it… I'm turning into a pervert like Pervy Sage… It's her fault for walking around like that though."_ Groaning, Naruto stood and sat on the edge of his bed as Tayuya finished dressing. A second later she was stepping past him into the bathroom.

The door closed with a snap.

He sighed and dropped back onto the bed, closing his eyes. He was so confused. He'd been training hard, skipping sleep and mastering his new bloodline as best he could in the short time left before the Final test. Then he'd flashed home when he was just about to hit empty. And… he didn't remember much of anything after that. Except the weird dreams, but he would swear now that the last one hadn't been a dream in the least. That in and of its self raised a few questions, but there were other thinks to think about besides his conflicted feelings.

For instance, why Tenten and Konohamaru had been there and what they told Tayuya. Or what he was going to do for the ending to the Chunin exams. As much as he'd boasted he'd finish with a bang, he never really thought anything out in particular, besides of course showing off the Fourth's jutsu in front of everyone. And now that he could use Ice release, there was another thing to consider.

In the time he'd trained it, he found that using a Kekkei Genkai was extremely difficult. It was far beyond just using a normal elemental affinity. His seals helped a little, but not as much as he'd liked or hoped. Over all he faced the same problem with Ice release that he'd faced with everything else. Chakra control. His sucked, and probably always would. That went beyond Wind release or passive chakra use… or the regular Clone jutsu. It was a fundamental part of him. Which meant he was either limited to overpowered techniques, or he'd need to work out a real chakra limiting seal that didn't stop him from using large portions of his chakra. While at the same time giving him the control he needed on the smaller jutsu.

 _"_ _So much stuff to think about all at the same time. How does Granny Tsunade do all of this? It's no wonder she's always cranky. Maybe I should give her more credit for doing her job and not going insane? Then again, Gramps always seemed to do it all fairly easily. Maybe she's just inefficient…"_ Naruto grumbled to himself and sat back up. _"_ _No that's all pointless to think about right now. First I'll ask about Tenten and little Bro. Then I need to figure out what my strategy will be for the final test…. If any. And last, I need to find out what I can about Iwa. Maybe Jiraiya can help with that when he gets back. He's supposed to show up just before…"_

As he thought to himself Tayuya left the bathroom, brush already stroking through the tangled mess of her hair. She didn't pay any attention to him… but her cheeks were still almost the same shade as her hair. He watched her, waiting for her body language to signal it was alright to talk again.

Eventually Tayuya dropped the brush on her bed and sat down. Naruto took it as the sign that he could speak without being attacked by an angry redhead. (never a pleasant experience) He opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted as Tayuya jumped off the bed and stormed over to him. Naruto cringed slightly as she grabbed him by the front of his open jacket. Tayuya growled ominously, dragging his face closer. Their eyes met.

"First things first. If you ever try to sleep with me like that again I will cast a Genjutsu on you so vicious, Itachi Uchiha himself will feel chilled where ever the fuck he is." Her purple eyes narrowed as her fist clenched harder, the knuckles turning white.

"I didn't get into bed with you though…."

"SHUT UP!" Tayuya shouted. "AND SECOND, don't you dare train that stupid fucking bloodline of yours alone. Got it?!"

Naruto leaned away from her unsuccessfully. She brought their heads together with a smack hard enough to wake Gaara from full possession. He saw her wince fractionally as she continued. "Don't you try to get out of this shithead! Let me tell you something. When you popped up here after training alone and without rest for kami knows how long, you… were…. _frozen!_ "

Her hand released him just long enough for him to pull away…. Only to have their head slam back together. "UNDERSTAND? FROZEN! You're the one who is supposed to protect me here Naruto! And you can't do that if Danzo is chilling his drinks with your corpse!"

He looked away as the nails of her other hand were slowly digging into the meat of his leg. "I don't give a damn about whatever family we have back in Iwa. I don't give two fucks about parents I've never met and probably never will, but you… I care what happens to you damn it! So I don't ever want to hear about you using Ice release alone. I don't…" Tayuya's strength seemed to vanish as she collapsed, letting go of him. "I don't want you to leave…."

Naruto, horrified by her outburst, dragged her back onto the bed. She didn't fight the action, but she managed to punch him weakly, pointlessly. A miserable, almost lonely expression marred her usually proud features. Naruto didn't know what to do or say. He never really knew what to do or think around girls and this was completely unexpected. Usually he tried to act how Kiba or maybe Choji would, but somehow he knew that he couldn't fake his answer here. He didn't want to disappoint or… scare her.

Letting out a long sigh, Naruto wrapped his arms around her slim shoulders. She dropped her head on his chest, breathing hard after her rant. He noticed that even though her body shook… she still wasn't crying. _"_ _What do I say? Is there even anything I can say?"_ Naruto allowed his head to rest on hers. It was a long time before he came up with something.

As Tayuya's dry sobbing finally degenerated into shivering and then stillness, Naruto rubbed his hands over the small of her back. "Tayuya-chan… I won't leave… Promise of a lifetime… k…"

Her fingers tightened, curling gathering fistfuls of his jacket again as she pushed her face into his chest. "Fucking better be... Naruto…"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **There you have it. This chapter of Sealing Twilight is finished. Yeah I know there was NO action in this one but I think I more than made up for it. The hack and lash stuff is saved for next chapter…. Maybe.**

 **Just so you know I will be including a bonus chapter after the Exams end for the "Kakashi mask incident"**

 **And a short note on Naruto's power level, for all those out there who think he's overpowered and no one stands a chance against him. He fought Killer B a few chapters back, however… I'd like to remind those who think this is significant that B wasn't using his tailed beast cloak… or his (eight) blades simultaneously. Also, while Naruto is strong, B, Chojuro, Kurotsuchi, Kakashi… etc… have way more experience fighting than him.**

 **Also if we want to be honest with ourselves, the only truly analytical fight in Naruto where both opponents used every trick in the book to win…. Would be the Sasuke's fight against Itachi, and even that shit was rigged. Most of the time Naruto is completely reckless and would be pieced apart by any shionbi with experience to match Jiraiya, Kakashi, or any of the older Shinobi. Nearly endless chakra reserves or not.**

 **Such is the reason why Jiraiya was killed by Pein. If Jiraiya fought like Itachi, he would have won, but he's just as big a knucklehead as Naruto.**

 **And no, Hirashin isn't an instant win as awesome as it is. I'm sure everyone can recall that Naruto can't use it the same way as Minato, as he needs to inscribe the seal onto an object before using it. Minato could teleport to anywhere he touched once. And even then he wasn't able to defeat A and B back in that flashback….**

 **Finally you need to remember that despite how powerful his Ninjutsu has become, he is still hopeless with Genjutsu, unskilled in Kenjutsu and missing both Ninetails chakra mode and Sage mode. So despite all the power ups he's gained, he's also severely weakened compared to canon Naruto…. As long as he doesn't go dark… Now there is a blond who you don't want to mess with.**

 **Anyway… remember to critique and review!**


	11. Chapter 10 - Ice

**And so here is the next chapter. It would have been out earlier but yeah… school. Thank god for writing and D &D. Otherwise I'd have no way to relieve stress. So just to be brief…. There is good stuff in this chapter… very ****good** **slightly** **tart** **stuff, if you get my meaning. If you don't, well I guess you'll just have to read on.**

 **Try not to die of nosebleeds. I am not liable for any deaths… So onwards to the reader responses!**

 **QuinSFA:** **Yes… thanks for the compliment and well.. the update is here.**

 **.Engine. :** **Wicked idea… actually, I like it. Sounds just like her don't it?**

 **Mokkel** **: Yes… adorable… not usually the word choice I'd use for Tayuya, but yeah. I suppose in that scene it fits.**

 **ShadowValdimirSilverBlood** **: Unfortunately I won't be going shopping at Danzo's ROOT gift shop for this story, but don't worry. I already have a different idea. So basically yes… Tayuya will probably have it, just not soon.**

 **Kurokawa Kazunari** **: No comment, but… yeah…**

 **Plums** **: It's coming. Hell yeah… it's coming.**

 **(Still don't own any part of Naruto) Sucks don't it? This would make a killer anime wouldn't it?**

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

"You stupid son of a Iwa discount store mongrel guard dog!"

"Sorry! I said it already, stop hitting me!"

The wooden ladle thwacked down hard on Naruto's head again, as it was wielded by the powerful form on one Ayame of Ichiraku Ramen. He winced at the pain and leaned back out of reach while trying to continue to devour his Ramen at speed. Beside him, watching the continuous assault, Tayuya quietly sipped the broth on her twelfth bowl of pork ramen. She raised her hand and behind the dueling pair, the old man got to work on a new batch for her.

"I'm sorry okay! I would hav…."

"I'll beat the chakra out of you for this you brat!"

Tayuya tuned out the shouting as she waited for the next batch. She didn't need to get herself involved. After all he already had a fat lip from her fist. The nerve he had of living with her for a month and not taking her here! To his favorite restaurant! It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't discovered she enjoyed it so much. But the fact that she'd missed out on a month of Ichiraku due to his bone headedness only severed to anger her further. If she had any power to do so, she would have forbid him from eating here for punishment. Unfortunately, wife, girlfriend, partner or whatever, he did not bow to her demands or ultimatums. Thus she settled for dealing what damage she could to his pocket book.

Not that she could even scratch his pocket _lining._ After all Ichiraku was actually renting from _him._ Turned out that among the property he inherited from the Uzumaki clan and his mother was the lot rented by Ichiraku ramen. Well, not really rented. The original deal was for a select group of people to eat for free in exchange for the rent to be waived. Basically Kushina and a few others were allowed to gorge themselves whenever they came by and the two cooks never paid rent. These days they all but owned the property. Naruto had objected to not paying for his ramen now that he was rich. She personally thought he was an idiot, but then again, there was no fun in being right if everyone agreed with you.

So now she was taking full advantage of his more than substantial wealth while Ayame beat him half to death. The specified reason for the punishment was his bringing his girlfriend to see his surrogate family… a month or so late. But it was also because he himself had been absent for that time too. At least she suspected this was the real reason.

All of this was _quite_ beside the point though, as Ayame finally withdrew. Tayuya turned to see Naruto's face as it started to tinge blue from the beating… then fade back to its usual tan appearance. His healing factor made the process of bruising and recovering take seconds instead of days. Such a useful skill… if only she could do that without going through the whole Tailed Beast- shoved inside her stomach- thing.

"And don't you dare go a month without seeing us again Naruto!" Ayame huffed and turned her attention back to Tayuya. "Sorry about that dear, it's just that Naruto-kun sometimes needs a bit of straightening up." Ayame shot an evil look his way before continuing. "Today he was simply a bit more _crooked_ than usual."

"Well don't stop on my account." Tayuya smirked.

Naruto grumbled something about the Wooden Ladle no Jutsu being more deadly that Granny's fists as he solemnly bent to finish his now cold ramen.

Ayame sighed, smiling. "So… Tayuya, may I ask how you and Naruto got together?"

Naruto choked.

Tayuya choked at the exact same time. Both of them dropped their bowls with a single clatter. "What/What?!"

"Never mind…." Ayame glanced between them, Naruto with his surprised, horrified expression and Tayuya with a matching one… plus a bright blush. Both of them spluttered and shook their heads. Ayame turned back at her father who only smirked and shrugged.

"Why would you ask that Ayame-chan?!"

She hummed disappointed. "Ah well Naruto, I would think that you could tell your big sis how you hooked up with possibly the only red head in the village. They're a dying breed you know. Not only that but she's so pretty and sweet. Reminds me of your mother a bit"

"Sweet?" Naruto snorted. "Uh huh. You should she how she usually is. You wouldn't be calling her sweet. That's for sure… Ouch! Hey I was just telling the truth!"

Tayuya leaned back after punching his arm as hard as she could. Her fist was still smarting as if she'd hammered a brick wall instead of flesh. "You don't have to be so damned blunt about it moron!"

"But I thought you hated mushy compliments like that!?"

"Doesn't mean I like being insulted!"

"You do it all the time!"

"Because you're an idiot!

Ayame smiled as her father muttered under his breath. "So very much like his mother….."

Naruto managed to catch Tayuya's fist as it nearly connected with the side of his head. He deflected her next strike downward and caught her wrist, preventing her from attacking with her hands again. She glared him down, trying to get him to release her. He didn't for obvious reasons. "Tayuya-chan. No hitting okay? You already hit me today and I'm starting to feel like a punching bag."

She frowned and relaxed. "Fine! But only because you have the Final Test the day after next. I suppose you need to recover still." Tayuya almost pouted, as though she though hitting him was a reward she'd missed out on.

He nodded, but was interrupted by Ayame.

"Um… pardon, but I thought the final test of the Exams were tomorrow?"

"What?" Tayuya and Naruto shared an incredulous look. Then realization dawned on them. Tayuya whirled. "You! You slept for 24 hours!"

"Me?! You mean _we!_ I'm not the only one who did it. Same bed, same amount of time!"

Ayame's eyes widened. "My…my…" She looked between the two of them. "Just how far have you two gone already? It seems like you've been having _pretty_ good nights if you slept in that long." One eyebrow rose in avid curiosity. "Don't tell me… you're actually…?"

"NO! I wouldn't do that Ayame-chan! I wouldn't! We haven't done anything like that! I was just really exhausted from training and I was out cold so Tayuya put me in bed and…." His frantic words slowed down significantly. "And well…. I don't really remember much from that point on actually."

Tayuya received a piercing stare from Ayame.

"What?! He was practically frozen solid from his stupid ass training! I had to warm him up somehow!" She stopped, a look of horror crossing her face as she realized what she'd just said. "That came out wrong. Like really fucking wrong."

Naruto nodded mutely.

Ayame's eyes were playful and amused, but she didn't comment. She only turned on her heel and started preparing the next batch of ramen without speaking. Naruto watched her go about her tasks for a moment before her glanced at Tayuya. "I think you broke Ayame-chan."

"Shut up!"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Jiraiya of the Sannin was rather put out to find his Godson was gone when next he came to speak to him before the final test. It would be starting early the next day so he only had the rest of tday to find him and talk. Then there would be a mad scramble afterwards as the balance of Konoha resettled from the great event.

And so he'd gone to Ichiraku immediately after the apartment. Ayame explained that Naruto had stopped by with his girl friend about thirty minutes before. Jiraiya headed for the first logical place after that. Training field 7.

It was empty save for a pink haired Kunoichi who was blowing holes in the landscape large enough to make him cringe with sympathy. Honestly he knew how the gorund felt under those tremendous blows. After she finished her routine he hopped out to inquire of her teammate.

She had no idea where he was if he wasn't at his apartment or Ichiraku's. Sakura suggested Naruto was either training at one of the other areas or pestering Tsunade. And Jiraiya was fairly sure he wasn't doing the later.

With that in mind he began a complete scout of every training field in and surrounding the leaf… But came up with nothing. Frustrated he spammed several clones and had them do a grid search of the village. He needed to talk to Naruto and like always, when you needed him, he could never be found.

 **Ooo**

Naruto and Tayuya were heading down the fairly crowded street to his apartment after a long talk with Gaara, followed by a run in with the pissed off Iwa girl who would be in the final test. The first encounter had been alright, Gaara had given Tayuya several samples of metallic sand to try out while he accused him of preventing her from training. They both became quite red in the face after that.

Why did everyone automatically assume they were doing that?!

Then not too much long after that Tayuya had bumped into that… girl… in the street and nearly got her head lopped off. Naruto was about to retaliate when a quick and very mean cat fight ensued, leaving Tayuya was a long scratch on the back of her arm and several spots that were sure to be bruises.

The Iwa girl got of noticeably worse. Tayuya rubbed several layers of skin off when she slammed her opponent's face into the sandy street. The Tsuchikage's granddaughter wasn't going to be looking her best for the exams. That was for sure. Despite her roughed up appearance, he'd felt a chill when she left. The look she shot him over her shoulder was filled with so much killing intent it made him take a step back. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he had the distinct feeling she was going to cause him problems in the very near future.

If only he knew….

That wasn't even counting the looks he'd gotten from the other people in the street, though those were mostly for Tayuya. Honestly? Who wouldn't stare at the redhead who just planted the Tsuchikage's daughter's face in the dirt and come out relatively unscathed? Naruto just hoped the scuffle didn't come back to bite him in the ass later. Who knew? She might have run off to tell her old man about how she was assaulted by his girlfriend.

Naruto tried not to think about that, but couldn't get his concentration where it belonged until he was receiving a hard rap to the side of his head.

"Fucking blockhead! Get your ass in gear!"

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. Tayuya was there looking agitated… while across from them was one of his friends and his canine companion.

"Hey! Kiba! How've you been?"

Kiba looked between them. "I've been fine. Shino and Hinata are off on a mission right now so I was just heading out to look for a sparring partner." His eyes settled on Tayuya. "So how's the "arrangement" been going?"

Tayuya huffed and looked away, obviously disdainful of Kiba. Naruto scratched the back of his head chuckling. "Well… it's going okay, I guess. Nothing really bad has happened at least. Even though she's always hitting me."

"Looks like you two get along." Kiba's eyes flicked to Naruto again. "See how you smell just like her." Kiba sounded, at best, too interested and at worst, mildly suspicious. "Do you two actually sleep together or something?"

Tayuya's head snapped around so fast both boys heard the rapid fire of popping from her vertebra. Her cheeks and flamed red both in embarrassment and indignation. Her hand shot out and Kiba's feet suddenly flew out from beneath him. His ass met the street hard as his ninja reflexes utterly failed him. Tayuya was snarling slightly now. "Fuck head! I do not sleep with him!"

Naruto took a step to his left, away from her.

Kiba struggled to his feet, brushing the back of his pants off and giving Tayuya a dirty look. "Really? You sound awfully defensive about it. Are you sure you two aren't starting to get a bit too close?" Beside Kiba Akamaru nodded his head up and down in agreement. He barked loudly before looking up at Kiba.

Abruptly the huge dog sat down, cowering in fear as Tayuya strode forward, coming nose to chin with Kiba. "And who asked you bitch?! I sure as hell didn't ask for yours or your mangy mutt's yapping."

A low growl came from Kiba as he rammed his forehead into hers. "Now you just listen here! No one insults me like that and gets away with it! Especially not calling me a bitch! I only asked because you're supposed to hate blonde and now you damn well smell like him!"

Tayuya's livid voice came, cracking across Kiba like he'd been smacked. "I do hate him! HE JUST IGNORES IT!" Her finger crooked and the sand shifted under Kiba's feet, sending him down again. Tayuya planted a foot in his gut…. Only to find herself pulled off.

"Hey, Fuck! Naruto! Put me down!"

"Sorry, but Kiba is still my friend no matter what either of you say to each other. I'm not going to just sit by this time. He didn't say anything bad. He's just suspicious is all and he has every right to be ya know!"

Tayuya thrashed once and gave up, knowing Naruto's strength and knowing well enough that breaking his grip was impossible. _"_ _Damn stupid idiot! I was about to rib that guy a new ass and shove it up his old one! And he just has to get in the way!"_ She grumbled low curses under her breath as Naruto slowly set her down. She immediately turned around to shout at him, but paused. Naruto's pleasant if uneasy smile from before had vanished. It was replaced by a hurt look. His blue eyes were reproachful and filled with something she couldn't identify.

Anger? Distrust? No those weren't even close. It was confusing and disturbing to so suddenly be unable to read his expression. He was always so open that his sudden shut down was disconcerting.

She turned back as Kiba got to his feet again. He brushed himself off and nudged Akamaru with a foot, urging his companion to get up. He glanced at Naruto too and his gaze lit with recognition. Kiba turned and just walked away without speaking. Tayuya whirled back on Naruto, but he was walking away too, back towards the apartment.

"Hey?! What the hell?!"

She chased after him, wondering what the fuck had just happened. Was it something she did? Why did the stupid dog boy just walk off like that after she knocked him down? And why was Naruto acting the same way?!

 **Ooo**

Kiba growled to himself as he walked along the street to his clan's compound. He couldn't get Naruto out of his head. Especially not that look. He didn't notice it at first, but that was the exact same look Naruto had after Sasuke left. That suddenly lost and hurt expression that seemed to be marked by a dulling of his excited blue eyes.

And that bitch had caused it. Naruto was his rival, but he was also one of his closest friends. A kindred spirit, a buddy, a partner, and a comrade. It pissed him off to know that girl was doing anything to harm him. It wasn't right. The only reason she was there was because Naruto had decided to help _her!_ What right did she have to cause him pain, physical or otherwise?! And it was even worse because he knew Naruto would never do anything to retaliate. He would take whatever she threw at him and just let it go. He was just that kind of person.

"I need to break something…." Kiba muttered angrily as he continued on his way.

 **ooo**

Jiraiya stopped in his search as he felt one of his clones dispelling. The memories it sent him were…. interesting. Apparently Naruto and the Tsuchikage's daughter didn't hit it off very well, and Tayuya even less.

Just another reason to talk to Naruto before the Final test.

Turning in the direction of Naruto's apartment, Jiraiya dispelled the rest of his clones and headed off.

 **Ooo**

Tayuya watched Naruto carefully. She didn't know why but his attitude had taken a sudden turn for the worse. As in, he'd become exceptionally frosty towards her and she didn't know why. Did she do something that offended him? Obviously he hadn't approved of him trying to pummel his friend, but that wasn't the cause… at least she was fairly sure it wasn't.

Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have care if Naruto was ticked off at her, but this wasn't like him. She didn't like to admit it… but ever more often she found herself worrying about him… and even worse. Worrying about how he felt towards her. It wasn't as if she should care right? She'd did her best to help him when he was a blond-icicle but that was basic self preservation… right?

 _"_ _I wish he would just say something damn it instead of looking into that cup of ramen like it's some damned scrying glass._ "

Abruptly Naruto's head shot up from where his eyes had been focused. He sat on his bed as per the usual… She sat on hers, across the room from him.

Five minutes passed as they stared at each other, neither one backing down. Tayuya didn't know what to say. At least she didn't know anything to say that might help. She wasn't gifted with words. If you didn't know that by now you'd have to be blind and deaf. So she simply continued to stare…. Her expression slowly becoming more and more agitated as she wondered what the hell she was doing.

"Are you just going to stare at me and shit or are you gonna say something?"

Naruto looked away. "I want…"

"What?" Tayuya pressed for an answer but Naruto seemed reluctant.

"I want to know why…" Naruto glanced back at her. "I thought we were trying to be friends… I thought I was going to try and _show_ you how to have a friend. But… but you just told Kiba that you hate me." Tayuya blinked in realization as Naruto's expression became angry. "What about yesterday huh?! I almost killed myself and you were worried about me! But today you hate me?! How does that work?!"

Naruto threw his cup of ramen across the room, the contents spilling over the wall on the other side. "Why!? It's driving me crazy! One minute you tell me you don't want me to leave and the next you hit me! And the next after that you say you _hate_ me! Don't you get It Tayuya!? Everything you say has an effect! You can't just do whatever the hell you want and not expect consequences! And every time you say something it seems to go against what you said just before that. It's…. It's fucking with my head!"

He was off his bed now, prowling over to her, his blue eyes cold and confused, angry and contemptuous. "Tell me… _now._ How do you feel about me?"

"I…" Her words lodged in her throat. She suddenly lost the ability to talk. She was mute even as Naruto leaned in.

"Why.. why do you always try to hurt me? I want to know.. Maybe if I know why you keep telling me you hate me… If I know why you insult me or call me names… maybe I can figure out a way to ignore it… I want to. I want to tune it all out because I like you…! I want to be near you, but I don't know why and it's making my head ache just trying to figure it out. I shouldn't want to be near you. If I think logically like I do when I use Fuinjutsu….. I should despise you. You're the antithesis.. The opposite of what I like…."

"But I like you…." Naruto was one her bed. His eyes were inches from her own, intense, burrowing into her. His voice dropping slightly as he leaned forward. "I know I like you… too much. It's doesn't make sense to me. I know it wouldn't make sense to Kiba or Sakura-chan… or any of my friends.. And so I keep trying to figure out why… why I … _want_ to be _close_ to you, but I can't. I just get confused and angry because it's all so fucked up in my head…."

"Na…"

"No. I need to finish…" He cut her off, leaning closer. His hand brushed hers. His breath filled her senses, sweet and spicy from the ramen. His natural scent… the animalistic one under laid it.

She didn't know why she was fixated on his smell now. His words made sense. She was listening, but his scent… It was suddenly so distracting. Naruto's blue eyes held her still. Tayuya didn't know what was happening. She was confused now too… It was almost as if Naruto was somehow leaching his feelings into her, sharing his abject confusion.

"I need to know Tayuya. Why… Why do you tell me not to leave you and then say you hate me…? Don't you know… how much that…" Naruto's voice cracked. "It hurts." He pressed forward even more, forcing her backwards. "When I'm close to you I get this heat in my chest. It's painful, but at the same time I like the feeling. I want more of it. I need to make it hurt more! But when you're so cold to me the feeling disappears! It's hard for me to think clear… I keep…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he said, "I keep wanting to touch you… but I'm afraid you'll get angry at me. But even when I don't do anything, you still say that stuff about me! It pisses me off, but at the same time I can't do anything! I don't want to hurt you even though you do the same!"

His eyes opened. "It seems like you keep forgetting all the progress we made. We fight and make up and we're good for a little while, but then it's back to the same old business…" Naruto growled. "I _hate_ that. I just want to slap you upside the head! But when I'm about to do it I…. I just can't… So….. if I can't make you remember that we aren't enemies…. I think… I'll have to make sure you _can't_ forget…."

Tayuya's eyes widened as Naruto's hand snaked around to the back of her neck, pulling her flush to him. Her cheeks flamed red as his scent sharpened. The hairs along her arms stood on end as though Naruto was creating static electricity between them. Unconsciously she inhaled, the smell somehow making her blush even worse…

"Tayuya…"

"Na..ru..to...?"

"Don't forget… I want you…"

Naruto's lips met hers as he leaned in to kiss her. Tayuya gasped into it, surprised, shocked that he would actually do it. And at the same time a massive ball of heat churned in her chest, making her…. forcing her to respond. The second that Naruto felt her arms twine around his neck… he lost it. He deepened the kiss and plunged his hands up under her shirt, running them up her smooth skin to her breasts. As soon as his fingers brushed the undersides of the firm globes Tayuya's whimpered. Naruto squeezed and a moan came unbidden from her lips, still pressed hard to his.

Tayuya couldn't understand why she was doing this…. But it felt so good for some reason she couldn't name, or didn't care to guess. She allowed Naruto to slip away, a thin ribbon of saliva connecting them. His eyes focused on her even as she opened hers. Red suffused his cheeks and his eyes flickered, the blue almost seeming to brighten… or glow faintly.

"Tayuya…." He purred low, the sound sending a shiver up her spine. "You feel the same way don't you?"

She didn't answer, but growled and dragged his lips down to meet hers again. He didn't pull away for almost ten minutes, his instincts driving him far more than any conscious thought. Naruto gasped as he broke the kiss only to bury his face in the hollow of her throat. Tayuya whimpered as his teeth marked her skin, leaving small red marks as he trailed down her neck. It felt so good! His lips were warm and hot on her flesh. His teeth were sharp and stung as he bit….

Naruto tasted the salt on Tayuya's skin as he traced down the curve of her throat. Her scent was thick now, strong with arousal. He drank in her scent. She was _his_ now. _HIS._ No one else would take her from him. Every part of her was oozing sensuality… lust for him.

He left of marking her tender skin and clawed at her shirt, tearing it and exposing her gorgeous pale skin. He moved down taking in the sight of her exposed chest. She didn't like it. Tayuya hissed at him for being idle and scratched at him, pulling him down. He retaliated, forcing icy chakra into his lungs and blowing chill air over her chest.

Tayuya bit her lip as her nipples hardened at the exposure to the frigid air. "Na…ruto…. Stop… fucking around….!"

"I thought that's what you wanted." He growled, biting her shoulder and drawing another whimper from her. "Don't you wan…."

"Shut up…. Too slow!" Tayuya grabbed a fist full of his jacket only for him to unzip it. The thick jacket came off in her hand as Naruto shifted his arms out of the sleeves. She immediately was paralyzed by his body heat. He was burning up… so good… Tayuya arched into him, seeking more of that scorching skin to press against. Naruto purred in approval, molding himself to her and forcing her further into the bed. She felt his teeth on her neck again… followed by the pinch of him sucking.

He pulled away a moment later, leaving the dark mark on her skin. "You are mine…."

"Fine just…"

Naruto's hand dipped into her panties, drawing a gasp of approval from her. "Just what Tay-chan?" His grin was feral as he felt the moist skin under his fingers. "Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Don't care!" She shouted as she shoved her hand down pulling her panties off with a loud snap. "Taking.. _too.._ long… _Naruto…"_

"Fine… You asked for it…." He growled and pushed two fingers into her. Tayuya mumbled something under her breath as she twisted her hips upwards. Naruto felt the hot insides of her wet lips. A fiendish smile curled the corner of his mouth as he pulled his fingers out with a slick sound.

"Naru! I wa…!... Mmmm….." Tayuya was about to protest when Naruto pushed his fingers into her mouth. She quickly pulled them out, but paused as the odd taste rolled over her tongue. Naruto took the opportunity to remove his pants, tossing them to the side as he finished.

 **Ooo**

 **Oooooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya woke for the second time… under heavy blankets, two strong arms curled around her. The smell of sex was strong in the air, the musky scent quickly reminding her that 'things' had happened. Important things like…. Naruto.

Why was Naruto curled around her again? Why was his hot breath warming the back of her neck? And… why was she completely naked? Such things were easily answered. One, he was curled around her because they'd had sex and worn each other out… or more like he'd worn her out and decided to sleep even though he could have gone another four… six… however many rounds more than she could stay conscious for. Two, because he was a possessive bastard and tended to glom onto her when she was in the same bed. Three, again… they'd had sex. Clothes were optional.

She sighed. She'd done it now… From taking a rocky path up a mountain… to being shot out of a cannon aimed for the top. Tayuya couldn't sort though her emotions at the moment. Her mind was too jumbled together, too crowded with different feelings and impressions. And her body wasn't going to help her any. Even now she felt the heat of Naruto's embrace being slowly leached away by the outside air. It made her want to cuddle in closer to his broad chest.

It didn't take long for her to give in, shifting and pushing her face into the small space under his chin. Apparently the bastard was awake since he immediately buried his face in her hair, drinking in her scent.

"Mmm… Morning Tay-chan… How do you feel?"

She grumbled something about shitheads and ignored him. He chuckled and moved to nibble her ear. Tayuya squirmed under his attention. A finger was slowly tracing the underside of one breast as he bit her softly. Naruto paid particular attention to a spot just below her ear on the underside of her jawline..

"Fuck…. Naruto… Did you have a clone… taking notes or something?"

"Uh… I did have a clone." Naruto spoke, pausing his torment for a moment. "But that was just chasing our audience away." He smirked at her expression and nibbled her special spot again.

Wha…!...ahh… Naru…?" A moan interrupted her complaint, sending her rolling away from him with her cheeks flaming red. Naruto crawled over to her entrapping her in his arms again, but letting her regain her composure. Still he couldn't resist the impulse to mark her pale skin every few seconds. She let him do it, not wanting to admit that she was high on his affection… and certainly unwilling to let him stop. It felt so good…. His constant, almost unnatural warmth was addicting.

Eventually she closed her eyes and curled herself back up in his arms, disliking any notion that she might be forced to leave the bed. She dismissed any speculation over someone trying to spy on them. Naruto said he chased them off so she wouldn't think about it.

It wasn't too much longer when Naruto spoke again though. "Um… Tay-chan? Doesn't my alarm usually ring by now?"

"Fuck no…" She muttered into his chest. "I smashed that thing to bits days ago…"

Tayuya felt Naruto stiffen, followed by his arms withdrawing. She bit back a _loud_ protest and sat up as well. Naruto was glancing at the clock on the wall, his eyes wide with surprise. She looked to it as well, rubbing at her eyes with one arm.

"What the fuck is it? I'm not a damn morning person. Unless it's important I'm going back to sleep and you're staying to keep me warm."

"Tay-chan…"

"Yes?" She looked at him. He looked to be sweating slightly. "What is it?"

"The… the Final test of the exams started thirty minutes ago…"

Tayuya blinked. "Oh… fuck me!"

She didn't have time to speak as Naruto was leaping out of bed, dressing in a blur and gathering up the fuinjutsu equipment he had in a frantic rush. By the time she got out of bed… still naked, Naruto was dressed and putting his ninja tools in order… with the help of four clones, all of which had the same panicked expression.

As Naruto was pulling on his belt, Tayuya was pulling on panties, watching him with an amused/annoyed expression. "Well, look at it this way. You have a pretty damn good excuse for being late. Unlike that idiot sensei of yours."

Naruto didn't even answer, slipping on his combat sandals and tying his headband around his neck. His clones finished packing everything he was taking, just in time for them to dispel. Naruto took the two scrolls and shoved them quickly into his belt pouch. Then he was forming a quick handsign. He didn't actually have a Hirashin seal at the arena… stupid as usual. He should have known he'd be late to the final test of all things. So he would have to make due with the seal near Sakura's house. That was closest to the arena.

"You forgetting something?"

He paused, glancing over to a still half naked Tayuya, now sporting black shorts and her beanie. After all she had priorities and beanies were awesome. Naruto shook his head. "I don't thin…"

"Get over her dipshit."

Naruto walked over to her, only to be pulled into a heated kissed. Tayuya's arms swiftly pulled his head to the side then, letting her latch onto his neck. Naruto growled softly as she sucked hard, biting him at the end.

He pulled back a second later, rubbing at the spot. "What's up with that?"

"Hmph! You started it blonde. I've got a lot more than you do." She gestured to the consolation of red bite marks that covered her neck, shoulders and throat. "You're mine now. I don't want some bitch trying to take you from me. I pumped enough chakra into that to make it last a few hours even with your ridiculous fucking healing."

"Is this gonna be a regular thing?"

Tayuya smirked and dragged him forward biting his cheek playfully. Naruto's eyes widened as her teeth brushed his whisker marks, a shiver traveling up his spine. A pleasurable chill that make him shake his head a few times. Tayuya's scent sharpened as he pulled away again. Her smirk had acquired a devilish quality. "Sensitive huh? I'll have to remember that. No get going before you're late to your own fucking party."

He purred, pushing forward to kiss her again and asked, "Are you coming to watch?"

"Sure am. Now get going! I'll be there in a sec."

Naruto nodded and, finding a smirk of his own playing across his lips, snatched her beanie before disappearing in a flash of yellow light.

"Fucker! Give that back NARUTO!"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tenten lamented that she always seemed to have the worst luck. No matter what situation she found herself in, she always seemed to get screwed over by life. Whether it was being an orphan, getting low scores in the academy because she couldn't read when she first started, being assigned to a team with a hyperactive idiot and a cold Hyuuga prodigy…. Or just something as simple as fighting someone who was easily Jonin level…

Life's a bitch!

Tenten dodged the sweep of the liquid blade a second time, barely able to duck her head out of the way as the second watery sword nearly took her head off. She backpedaled wildly, throwing shuriken and kunai like horizontal rain at her small opponent.

Her enemy, the younger, incredibly somber and unfairly attractive Taki Genin was trying her damndest to _kill_ her. And damn if she wasn't giving it her all. Hell! She was using not one Water Sword jutsu, but two! Simultaneously! And she thought that was impossible. She could use the Fire Sword Jutsu, but that was unbelievably hard and hers wasn't a third the length of this girl.

"Shit!" Tenten leapt into the air, spinning and pulling out one of her smaller scrolls. Immediately the Taki girl… Yui was her name?... Looked up, her features contorting in a snarl.

The water swords splashed to the arena floor and her hands started weaving hand signs at a prodigious pace. Tenten cringed and replaced her scroll mid air, pulling out the one that contained her defensive equipment.

 **"** **Water style: Water Dragon jutsu!"**

Tenten grimaced as she drew blood over her scroll, knowing that she was in for a lot of pain one way or the other. Rising up across from her, swinging in the air like a column made of whirlpools, the dragon reared its head. Then it was roaring across to her, mouth open wide, watery fangs ready to rend her limb from limb.

A second before impact her Iron defense prison encased her. She smiled… So she wouldn't be knocked out of the competition in the first five minutes…

Then the water dragon hit the falling metal ball.

 **Ooo**

Tsunade winced as she saw the powerful water style jutsu plow into the instant metal prison that Tenten used to protect herself. It was ingenious use of a usually ineffective ninja tool. The metal prison was meant for capturing rogue Shinobi but unless it was made out of chakra enhanced steel… there was little it could do against strong lightning, wind, or fire jutsu.

It was rather excellent that she had it just in case. It was very effective against Water jutsu for all its weaknesses. Still…. She would be thrown around inside that ball like a rag doll. She might have survived the attack, which would probably have been fatal, but she was still going to get pulped if something didn't change very soon.

"Hm… she shows promise seeing how that Taki girl is obviously beyond her level." Tsunade glanced to her left, not immediately realizing which of her fellow Kage had commented… only to realize it wasn't. Jiraiya was standing between the chairs that she and Garra occupied. His eyes were focused on the fight but he spoke to her. "I never thought that Taki would pull something like this. Usually Iwa is the only village that sends overpowered Shinobi to the Exams. Seeing how normal Chunin can't hold a candle to even low Jonin level nins."

Onoki huffed at his comment, but smirked as Tsunade smacked him upside the head.

"You idiot! I was expecting you an hour ago! Where the hell were you?!"

"Whoa hime, no need to be hostile. I was just doing a bit of writing. Got a hold of some primo material yesterday you know." Jiraiya grinned hugely. "And you're not going to believe w…"

SMACK!

"I told you to stop spying on our own village damn it! Especially when it comes to your research. The village is not a peepshow goodybox!" Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Now if I find out you were watching another couple in that way I will personally nail you to the bottom of the male hot spring!"

Jiraiya paled and scooted away from her. "Ah..haha…ha…..ah…. –ahem- Well, that doesn't sound pleasant at all."

Tsunade growled. "For good reason….." She turned back to watch the match as Tenten came out of her metallic prison in a hail of demon wind shuriken and explosive tags. Tsunade took a sip of water, ignoring her former teammate.

That was until Jiraiya crept over to her right side and whispered in her ear.

 _"_ _I told you Naruto and that redhead weren't acting."_

Water sprayed over the Hokage's balcony as she shrieked, "WHAT?!" Her head snapped around to look at him, the dark gold of her eyes shocked. "HOW?!"

"Don't ask me. I practically walked in on them though. You didn't believe me the first time when I told you over sake." Jiraiya was beaming now, as if all the lessons to his student had finally paid off. The smug expression was so unbelievably… petulant.. It made Tsunade want to plant his body in a crater somewhere.

Tsunade's voice shook slightly. "O..okay… how do I know you're not trying to pull one over on me? There is no way those two…."

"Haven't you noticed hime…? Naruto's a bit late…"

Her eyes widened even further as her eyes flew to the balcony where the other participants stood. There was Konohamaru, Chojuro, and Kurotsuchi… but Naruto was absent. Jiraiya chuckled. "My guess is he's sleeping in late. Either that or his stamina is even more than it was when I was training him and he never got any sleep."

Tsunade's fist plowed into Jiraiya's _smug_ face, sending him out of the Hokage's box and over the arena to hit the opposite rooftop.

Two of the on-duty ANBU just ignored him as he pried himself out of the body shaped crater a minute later.

Back with Tsunade she was quickly searching the stands for a hint of red. Her fellow Kage were curious but didn't comment on her sudden shift of focus from the match… Gaara, who had better hearing that he ever let on, heard exactly what Tsunade said. He didn't find it particularly surprising. A lonely soul like Naruto growing close to an attractive female who he lived with? The fact that they were married and had similar personalities too? Of course one thing would lead to another. You didn't need social skills to realize that.

The other Kage had also noticed that absence of the blond, though with different reactions.

 **Ooo**

Hinata glanced at her little sister and father. Neji sat on her other side, next to the two Green beasts and Kurenai. Several others of the Konoha regulars were all sitting in the same spot in the stands. Their vantage point gave them all a good view of the Kage's stands, the field, and the fighter's box. Kakashi was humming to himself, for once not reading his little orange book, while he watched the match. Next to him was Asuma, who sat with legs crossed and a lit cigarette in his hand.

"Ano… Father? Don't you think Naruto-kun should be here by now? It's been twenty minutes or so… His match is second…"

Hiashi tilted his head in acknowledgement. "He's viewed as one of the main fights, especially since his reputation in the Leaf is so great. I wouldn't doubt if they simply went ahead with the third match. All five Kage are assembled here today. I believe they would want to see the boy demonstrate his skill… Isn't that right Kakashi?"

The copy ninja turned his head to look back at them. "Actually I've had nothing to do with his training for the last few years. You all know he went on a training trip."

"I'm aware."

Hinata nodded. "Yes… I know Naruto-kun went to train for the last three years. But haven't you trained him since he came back?"

"No…" Kakashi seemed pensive. "And to be completely honest I'm not sure there's much I could teach him now that he would listen to. He's surpassed me in several areas already."

Hiashi blinked. "Interesting…. What areas specifically?"

Kakashi scratched his chin as if wondering about it himself. "Well… I can safely say he's well beyond me in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Fuinjutsu…. Then again I've never really been proficient in Fuinjutsu or Kenjutsu. I suppose it's given that he is better than me at Ninjutsu. His chakra reserves are simply impossible for me to compare to. And his Taijutsu…. I can't compete with him there either. His use of shadow clones gives him more actual experience than two or three of me."

Hiashi deadpanned. "So what you are telling us is that he is better than you."

"No… not really…."

"But that's what you just said."

"Really?"

Hiashi sighed. "You always were hopeless."

"I'll take that as a complement coming from you."

Hinata looked between them. "Um… who was Naruto-kun training with?"

Kakashi waived his hand dismissively as he turned his attention back to the match. "Doesn't matter. You'll see how much he's improved shortly."

Asuma chuckled. "You never cease to amuse Kakashi, but I wonder just how powerful young Naruto is." He turned in his seat to speak to Shikamaru who sat with Ino and Choji behind him. "Hey Shika, weren't you tell everyone that Naruto was the most naturally gifted of all the Genin? If Kakashi it to be believed I think I see what you meant now."

Ino glanced at Shikamaru with an odd look. "You're kidding right? Naruto? Naturally talented?! Who are you kidding! He was dead last!"

"YO! I hear you dissin my little bro! Definitely not cool ya know! Fool ya fool! Take back what ya say girl cause Naruto's gonna take ya for a whirl! Gonna make ya hurl YEAH!"

The dozen Konoha Shinobi all looked behind them as two figures walked down the stairs. The first was a huge man with dark skin and a white flak jacket. His attire was ridiculous, but all the same he exuded an aura of raw power and confidence. The second was a young woman with blond hair, tied in a long braid. Her blue eyes regarded them with a regal air her movements were beyond graceful, like a cat.

Hiashi, Asuma, Kakashi, and Guy all stiffened.

"Lord B… Lady Yugito of Kumo…"

"Hey, it the one eyed copy nin! Been a while, how ya been?!"

SMACK!

"Ouch! Yugito girl, watch who you smack! I'll lay you out flat yo!"

"Stop the damned rapping or I'll rip you a new one and light you on fire!" Yugito glared, her eyes blazing. B, for his part, shrank back, avoiding her wrath with practiced ease. After a moment she sighed and turned her attention back to them. "Sorry about B here. He gets carried away. And don't mind the rapping. He doesn't seem to have an off switch other than Lord Raikage's fist. Even that doesn't work too well."

Hiashi was the first in the group to recover, giving the two of them a calculating look. "Tell me. Why are the widely acknowledge second and third most powerful nin in Kumo… down in the spectators box when you could be with the Kage?"

Yugito shrugged and elbowed B in the ribs.

"Oh, my bad! We were just here to cheer on Naruto. He my little bro like I said… The two of us had a little fight a while back. Even though I cut him slack, little squirt almost broke my back, fool ya fool! …Just ain't right thinkin he's dead last, little bro is a blast for the past! Reminds me of the time I fought the Fourth. Now that was a fight, cause you know I'm right! The boy's the flash, though that orange is brash… ya know!"

Half the stadium sweat-dropped.

B glanced around before crossing his arms. "Well I can see _I_ ain't appreciated. I'll just have to wait for little Nine to finish up this little scratch so I can have a rematch." The jinchuriki proceeded to mutter obstinately under his breath about people who were unappreciative of his art.

Several miles away two figures sneezed and glanced around suspiciously before returning to their argument.

Kakashi pondered over the two Kumo nin for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the match… only to find that it had ended. Everyone else looked as well, just in time to see the medic squad carrying a gravely injured Tenten away from the center of the field. "Well that was quick. I missed it."

Yugito nodded. "Yeah.. that one is from the Kotegawa clan. They're pretty legendary for their chakra control… or at least, as legendary as you can get in a recluse village like Taki. I fought one of them during my own Chunin exams…. except he wasn't nearly as adept with his Ninjutsu."

Choji dug his hand into a new bag of potato chips. "So… who's next? I know Naruto is in the next round, but who is he up against?"

"Chojuro, a member of Kiri's legendary seven swordsmen." Neji and Shikamaru answered at the same time. The Nara shrugged and let Neji continue. "He wields the dual blades Hiramekarei, which are also called Twinsword. They can take any shape according to the wielder's will. A very useful ability in combat, to be able to change your attack even as you strike…" Neji eyed the arena as the winner of the match was declared. "But I doubt Naruto will have difficulties with this fight. He has encountered, fought, and survived in three encounters with Legendary swordsmen before."

Kakashi nodded. "True… but you can't really count two of those since I fought Zabuza and the… other battle… also wasn't exactly something he could have handled."

Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Either way, I agree with Neji on this one. Naruto has this in the bag. We have to remember he did fight and survive fighting Sasuke after he was given that curse mark by Orochimaru… and before that he took down the Kazekage while he was in tailed beast state… and that was barely two months after he made Genin."

Everyone nodded, though Yugito and B shared a startled look at the claim of Naruto's power. Could Naruto have really fought a possessed Jinchuriki as a fresh Genin, regardless of the power inside him?

"Anyways…" Kakashi muttered, "We'll see soon enough."

 **Ooo**

Chojuro looked out over the arena. He was ready for battle. His swords were fairly humming with anticipation. To anyone who saw him now, there was no doubt he was ready….

But his opponent wasn't here.

Now, he wasn't sure about Naruto at first, but from what he was told, Naruto was supposed to be a decently punctual person. So why was he late for his own match… when he was supposed to be here a half an hour ago?

 **Ooo**

Naruto raced along the street to the village at his top speed, blasting along, heedless of the people around him. To them, he was just a blur… followed by a massive pillar of displaced air. Most Shinobi were taught early on how to fluxgate their chakra into the air around them as a way to counter the displacement of air…. Which was caused when you moved several times faster than the eye could follow.

He didn't.

For one he like the effect it had on his surrounding when he moved at this pace. Everything was literally blasted away in his wake. Poor civilians…. But who cared about them anyway.

Naruto shook his head and got back on track, leaping into the air to clear several blocks… and he saw he was only a few seconds from the arena. _"_ _Fuck this! Why is everything so much further away when you have to get there in a hurry?!"_

He landed and set his feet, blurring forward faster than even most low level Jonin could follow.

So as you might expect, stopping was a problem.

 **Ooo**

Sitting in his assigned chair in the Kage's box, Gaara felt the huge spike in chakra from just outside the arena.

"Naruto is here." He said bluntly, a fraction of a second before _something_ flashed across the arena, completely unprepared to stop. Suddenly every voice in the arena went silent as a vaguely blond shape impacted the arena wall with enough force to bury himself in the stone and send a tremor through the stands. The thick stone cracked loudly as dust and debris was thrown up in a cloud.

A lone sarcastic voice was barely audible from the Kage's box. "Well… at least he knows how to make an entrance.

When the dust settled, Naruto pulled himself free of the wall and patted himself down. He ruffled his hair and shook his head a couple times. "Ouch… really need to get the stopping part down… Going fast isn't any god if I can't go slow." He shook his head again and looked up, catching sight of several faces in the audience. He waived to where he could see Kakashi, Hinata, B, and many others. They waived back… except for Hiashi and Neji who didn't actually know how.

Naruto chuckled to himself at his entrance and turned his attention to the one he would be fighting.

 _"_ _Yep… it's Mr. Earmuffs. And he has his fancy fish shaped swords strapped to his back as usual. I wonder what they actually do… not that it matters. If he can't hit me it doesn't matter how bad his blades are."_

"So… your Chojuro right?"

"Yes… That is my name. You were Naruto correct?"

"Uh huh, pretty much. Anyway. Sorry for being so late. I slept in by accident."

Chojuro tilted his head to the side. "You slept in on the morning of the Chunin exam's final test?" He sounded incredulous.

"Well, yeah. Not my fault though. My girlfriend smashed the alarm clock and didn't tell me. I would have been here early but well…. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Naruto shrugged and grinned. "So, do we start this fight or do we need to wait for the proctor to read us the rules first?" _"_ _And how exactly am I going to defeat this guy without making it seem like over kill… and at the same time show off my power?"_

A second thought occurred to him. _"_ _I know I trained my ass off with Ice release, but do I actually need it? I still have my raw wind manipulation, Hirashin, multiple elements and not to mention the old favorites."_

Chojuro smiled and drew both of his swords. "The rules are simple. Win… unless the proctor calls the match…"

"Sounds just like last time… minus the whole invasion, rampaging jinchuriki, rogue SS-rank nin issue." Naruto turned his head to the side, cracking it loudly. Then he rolled his shoulders. "But just as much fun. Let's see who's better eh?"

"Indeed."

Chojuro settled into his second best Kenjutsu stance and prepared to attack… only to duck to the side suddenly as his instincts screamed to move away. He saw… something, practically invisible in the bright sunlight. It looked like thin white gossamer strands. Like long wispy spider webs.. or perhaps ribbons. _"_ _What are those!? And why do they feel so dangerous?"_

"Just warning you here Chojuro, since I don't want to permanently maim you in a test that's supposed to be non lethal. But those strands are pure wind chakra. One can cut you in half as easy as a knife through butter."

"An excellent defense Naruto… but how did you manage it? I thought that such fine chakra manipulation was beyond you with how much chakra you have." _"_ _And how in the world can you pump so much chakra into that technique without it collapsing? That's why is seems so dangerous to me. My limited sensor ability is screaming at me to avoid those with how much charka is infused into them…."_

Naruto smirked as several more of the white ribbons of wind materialized around him. "Easy. If you can't funnel an entire lake into one creek without flooding the banks… then you just need a lot more creeks. Right now I'm siphoning my chakra elsewhere to give me a small enough reservoir to work with."

Chojuro nodded, a bit unnerved by this technique… It would put him at a severe disadvantage in close range. And that was exactly how he fought. Plus Naruto's explanation made sense… even though he didn't personally have enough chakra to worry about using such a method. The blond might have figured out other jutsu that were every bit as dangerous. He narrowed his eyes. _"_ _It seems by his stance that he can't use this technique and move at the same time. Which means if I can dodge his attacks with them… then I'll be free to damage him."_

Naruto's pupils contracted as Chojuro disappeared in a blue blur, reappearing five feet in front of him, already inside his guard. He allowed his smirk to grow and dropped the chakra he'd been siphoning off into his feet.

The ground literally exploded, the sheer volume of chakra released ripping the stone and dirt apart with a furious roar of cracking stone and grinding pebbles. Naruto was shot into the air by the repulsing effect of the move while Chojuro was sent tumbling head over heels backwards, careening along the ground to impact the far arena wall. He barely managed to get his blades out of the way before they impaled him too.

 **Ooo**

Jiraiya blinked in shock. "Was that….?"

Tsunade nodded. "Pure wind manipulation. I've seen a technique similar to that in the village forbidden scroll. It involves pouring large amount of Wind chakra into the air through a single point in the body. With enough control it forms a ribbon as the chakra escapes that point. Then… theoretically… it is possible to use the wind sharpening technique to make the ribbons even more lethal than the Wind Sword jutsu."

Gaara leaned forward slightly as Naruto landed in the arena, gravity finally reasserting its self. "Why doesn't Naruto use Hirashin? We all know he can. The match would already be over."

Sitting at the other end of the Kage's box, Mei smiled. "He's most likely getting a feel for Chojuro. Just because he can finish him off easily doesn't mean his opponent doesn't have a suicidal type attack for the worst case scenario. And as we all know… such attacks seldom miss."

"Does you boy have such an attack?" Onoki seemed curious.

"No… but he could have, and that's the point I was making. Naruto doesn't know."

 **Ooo**

 _"_ _Damn… that was just the after effect of his jutsu and he still knocked me clear across the arena. He is quite dangerous… I need to get in close without being hit and finish this. If I can…."_ Chojuro stood and locked onto the lone figure on the other side of the field. _"_ _He looks very calm and collected. Almost casual. Does he have that much confidence? Even with his abilities it is unwise to let your guard down."_

"You're probably wondering why I'm not going all out…"

Chojuro whirled, bringing his left blade up in time to block a colossal strike, administered by a second blond Shinobi. Fear coursed through him as he felt the chakra laced steel of Hiramekarei _flex_ in his grip, the force of Naruto's punch bending the metal out of shape for a moment. How could he be so insanely strong?! No one save Tsunade of the Sannin was so powerful!

"That's because I don't want to kill you…"

Then Naruto was spinning in place, the air suddenly crackling with bright blue electricity. His arms cocked out straight as the air buzzed, the space around him snapping and popping. His hair stood on end while his fingers slowly separated, the buzzing becoming a vibrating violent hum. A wicked grin pulled Naruto's lips back as his eyes changed, the pupils turning to slits.

"But don't think I'll go easy on you either."

Chojuro flung himself backwards as Naruto's torso twisted to face him. His hands came together with a clap like thunder as the blue lightning coalesced in an azure ball at his fingertips. **"** **Lightning Release : Heaven's Cannon, Lightning Bullet!"**

"SHIT!"

The blue ball suddenly expanded explosively, ten feet across. Chojuro paled, drawing up all the chakra he could. This attack was massive. He knew the jutsu from the civil war in Kiri… A ball six inches across could easily kill you… That would annihilate him without leaving a trace that he ever existed. He wasn't even sure that his legendary blades would survive a direct hit.

 **"** **FIRE!"**

Chojuro gritted his teeth and brought his hands together in one of only two wind jutsu he knew. **"** **Wind Release : Supreme Breakthrough!"**

The blinding blue sphere blasted towards Chojuro in a flash of indigo light, leaving the afterimage on everyone's eyes. Lighting hit the huge wall of wind, rapidly expanding in all directions around him… and split. The wind jutsu cut thought the lightning style attack easily, diverting the terrible energy into the ground all around him… and continuing on to blast Naruto…. Who disappeared in a plume of smoke.

 **Ooo**

Hinata frowned. "That was just a clone that Naruto-kun made? I didn't see him do it though…"

"Hm… I think I recognize that lightning jutsu… One of Kumo's if I'm not mistaken, and adapted to the ever popular Water Bullet technique. Although like most of Naruto's jutsu he's made it far beyond the normal size."

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better view of the battlefield. His question wasn't what the technique was or how powerful his blond friend had made it… His question was where the hell Naruto had learned it… and for that matter. When did he learn lightning release?

"Little bro sure is good with his lightning even when it isn't his primary element." B smirked as he watched Naruto's attack blasting the ground apart around Chojuro.

The others looked at the Kumo nin with raised eyebrows. Hiashi asked. "So exactly how do you know Naruto? You haven't been in the village before I don't recall any mission into the heart of Kumo recently. So I doubt you would have encountered each other at anytime in the past."

"Well you're right about that. Me and Little Nine met at one of your uh… training fields.." B looked like he was straining slightly. It must have been stopping the urge to rap. "We had a little spar. He took me down. Normally no one at his level could have touched me, but he's damned unpredictable. Couldn't tell where he was gonna hit me ya know! It crazy how fast is too when he serious. Not as fast as my big bro or the Fourth… but in a year… maybe. Fool ya fool, ya never know how it gonna go!"

SMACK!

"I said no rapping!"

"Yo! Yugito, my head ain't a target, soften your blows yo!"

She pulled her hands through her hair. "B, just don't talk if you can't… not… rap. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it… Don't mean I got to like it."

She snorted and looked back to Hiashi. "B and Naruto hit it off and had a quick fight. Naruto managed to catch B off guard, though he was holding back quite a bit. You have to remember that B is just under Kage level. I don't think he could land a single hit on B if they were both serious."

Kakashi glanced back at them, his one eye serious. Yugito and B both caught the look. Everyone listened as the grey haired ninja spoke his thoughts.

"I personally haven't seen Naruto serious in a fight. Not in person anyway. Naruto is many things, but unless something really important is on the line, he never goes all out. The one time I saw him fight with everything he had… he beat a Jonin level ninja with two hits… and that was less than a month after he made Genin."

Asuma nodded. "That was against the Rogue nins in Wave country right?"

"Yeah… Naruto saw… well, let's just say one of his friends was in danger. That's not something you do around Naruto if you want to live very long." Kakashi eye-smiled. "Same goes for me really or anyone in the Leaf. We don't fight for ourselves. We fight for our friends and allies. You might say Naruto is the embodiment of that."

"FUCK THAT!"

 _Everyone_ turned to see the form… the terrifying form of what could only be the most horrible nightmare in the universe. A pissed of red head. Tayuya stormed down the stairs past B and Yugito, not even glancing back at them. His hair was waiving in a non-existent breeze, seeming to gain a life of its own. To the older generation, they all received flashback to a second angry redhead. Hiashi, Kakashi, Asuma, B, and even Guy paled considerably and froze in place.

Tayuya again, paid no attention to them what-so-ever.

Hinata watched the girl with the crimson hair pass them and stride stiffly to the edge of the balcony. Her long hair was wet and parted three ways down her beautiful face. Her eyes were a deep purple… and her…. She was wearing a black jacket with jagged orange stripes going down the sides, over a plain white shirt. She was also wearing dark shorts with the Uzumaki clan symbol on the back pockets.

 _"_ _Is… is that who I think it is?"_

Tayuya stopped and put her hands on the railing, taking a deep breath.

"NARUTO! KICK THAT GUY'S ASS NOW AND GIVE ME MY BEANIE BACK DAMN IT!"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And CUT! Yes I know. I cut the fight scene short, but please forgive me…. Or don't. It doesn't really matter. But besides that, here is the end and so a few questions to my loyal army of undying reviewers.**

 **"** **Eh? What's that? They aren't undead? Oh well…"**

 **At any rate, the questions are here.**

 **Nah, I'm just kidding. No questions for you, but that don't mean you don't review! All of you better reiview or your dead meat! Hear me?! DEAD!**

 **Sorry, Had to get that out there. My friend Daniel is resisting my corruption…. -sigh- He's just so…. nevermind…. –sighs deeper- what I'm getting at is this… How do you like the start of the last stage!? Answer me dear gods of reviews!**

 ** _Or be doomed to the eternal pit of …despair…_**

 **Anyway. Just keep reviewing like you have been and we won't have any problems. –my friend cracks his knuckles ominously-**

 **That's right.. .review you stingy bastards…**


	12. Chapter 11 - Blizzard

**Hello again everyone and I'd like to start off with an apology. School has not been easy of late and I've had a lot on my plate recently. Not only that but I've had a very hard time with my older stories. Some of them I've been rethinking while others I've just hit a wall on. Don't worry. I'll be back on them eventually, but for now I'd like to repost this chapter of Sealing Twilight.**

 **As for my reason.**

 **I was really surprised when I first posted this chapter because I expected a lot of outcry about the ending. But there was almost nothing. I posted the end of this chapter with a very simple change to what it was supposed to be.**

" **Yes" or "no"**

 **When Tayuya answers yes at the end of this chapter it's a huge slap in the face to the good Naruto and everything their relationship is based off of. And I was honestly shocked that I didn't get a ton of shit about posting Tayuya accepting Dark Naruto's advances. It completely goes against her personality.**

 **So in a way this chapter and the chapter after it was a test… to see if people were giving me realistic feedback. And what I found were only a couple real reviews. A certain Guest who reviewed chapter 13 on January 11** **th** **actually told me off for it! And I'm GLAD! It was a test. And only he and a few others gave me shit when shit was due.**

 **Therefore…. I've reposted this chapter with the simple change or the very last word. From Yes to NO. Instead of Tayuya accepting Dark Naruto here she rejects him. And the rest of Sealing Twilight will continue on from there.**

 **Sorry if you really liked the end to this chapter and the chapter after this, but it just isn't the way it should be. The good Naruto would see Tayuya as the worst person every for betraying him only a day after they at last admitted their true feelings for each other**

 **So… with that out of the way… here is the revised chapter. The next one is to follow as soon as I have finished it, but as it is I have very little time right now. My college cumulative exams are next Tuesday and I have other work to do as well.**

 **One last thing. I have a poll of the Bleach story I've been working on and I'd like your opinion on it! Oh… and I have a story I've had on the back burner for a long while that I'll be posting…**

 **Now for the disclaimer. (No I don't own any part of Naruto)**

 _ **Chapter 11 Blizzard**_

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Naruto heard the shout from the balcony and looked up to see the form of his… well… his girl. Tayuya was shouting her head off, something about her beanie he was sure. He smiled. This was just what he was waiting for… He didn't know why, but at some point he realized that the exams wouldn't have been the same if he didn't know Tayuya was watching. Which was why he'd been dragging things out…. His eyes fell on Chojuro. The bespectacled teen met his gaze steadily.

"Sorry, but my girlfriend wants me to finish this."

"Your girlfriend reminds me of Mei-sama."

Naruto tilted his head. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, both of them have red hair… Kinda funny. Anyway.. I was apologizing, but time to get just a bit more serious." He tucked his hand behind his back, dipping his fingers into the pouch. A second later he withdrew one of his oddly shaped kunai. Naruto's smile grew as he began twirling it around his finger. "This might hurt…"

Chojuro tensed and Naruto disappeared.

"…..I wouldn't try…."

"….to move… if I…"

"….were you…. You…."

"….might want to…."

"….forfeit the match…."

The Kiri swordsman was frozen. He felt the light touch of a dozen blades all over his body. Kunai were placed over his throat, heart, back ribs, lung, joints, and his wrists. Naruto along with six of his clones were positioned around him, not moving. Chojuro didn't know how he could have moved so fast without Hirashin… Mei told him that Naruto could utilize the technique… even though he'd doubted it. But this speed… there was no handseal or anything. He didn't even activate a seal… or use a significant amount of chakra…

"How?" Chojuro asked, keeping absolutely still.

"Well…" Naruto's voice came from behind him, revealing the position of the original. "This is an old Uzumaki technique that used to take several people moving in concert, but since I'm so awesome with Shadow clones…. It kinda makes things easy for me."

"Not that. How did you do it so fast?"

Naruto chuckled. "Oh that… Well, let's just say that this whole match I've been running around with maxed out weight seals all over my body. I've been moving at a small fraction of my top speed during this match. You see… you might be Jonin level, but even without my insane chakra levels… you just aren't fast enough to fight me."

"I understand… You truly are strong Naruto… May I ask something before this match ends?"

"Sure."

"What do you fight for?"

Naruto's smile disappeared. "To protect what is precious to me. Nothing more, nothing less."

Chojuro nodded and slowly raised his hand as Naruto pulled back. "I surrender!"

 **Ooo**

"Well, that was quick." Onoki said dryly. "He didn't even use Hirashin, yet he's that fast? Very interesting." The old Kage's eyes narrowed as the proctor announced the winner of the match. "By the way… Did anyone catch what was said at the end there?"

"He said…" Gaara muttered quietly. "He said that his purpose was to protect what is precious to him. Nothing more, nothing less." A small smile played about the Kazekage's lips. "Naruto was always simple in that way. That is one of the many reasons I call him my friend, not only as one Shinobi to the next, but as man to man. Few have held to their beliefs firmer than Naruto."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both nodded, smiling. Mei sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back into her chair. At once proud to call Naruto a distant relative from the Uzumaki clan… and also disappointed in Chojuro's defeat. Not that it could have been prevented. Lord A also closed his eyes briefly, nodding once in respect to the ideal. After all he believed in something similar, though the scope of his influence was far greater, encompassing his entire village.

" _An immensely simple Shinobi indeed… Strong… but simple."_

 **Ooo**

Tayuya watched as the match was called and glanced to the Kage's box for a moment. Then turned back just in time for Naruto to appear on the hand rail she was next to. She looked into his eyes, her petty anger over him snatching her cap dissolving instantly. She didn't know if she could stay mad at him anymore… It seemed a pointless waste of her time when she could be basking in his warmth instead. His pupils were slits as his smile returned.

"Tay-chan…"

"Don't call me that Naruto." She growled and stepped forward to retrieve her cap.

"No so fast… Tay-chan…" He smirked devilishly, focused on her and the rapidly blooming blush that had no reason to be there. "I'll trade you…"

She stepped closer, knowing exactly what he wanted. "For what…?"

Naruto's hand shot out, catching her by the front of her jacket and pulling her in close. She dismissed the stares of the people behind her as his lips brushed her own. Naruto's arm curled around her waist pulling her into him as he kissed her hard. She hesitated for a moment before letting her hands wander, wrapping around his neck. They could both feel the shock of the other Shinobi radiating out, as tangible as gravity it's self.

"N…Na…Naruto?!"

One blue eye opened to regard them. Tayuya growled into the kiss, drawing his attention away from the audience. He scratched one finger down the small of her back, eliciting a gasp as he drew away. Naruto smirked at Tayuya's pout and pulled her forward again, dragging her beanie over her head. One hand grabbed him by his spiky blond hair, forcing him to meet her pink lips again. Naruto didn't seem to mind…. Until someone's rapping interrupted him.

"Yo! Naruto! Hows my little bro?! Looks like you havin a fine time Mr. Nine!"

Naruto broke the kiss again and glanced at Killer B. "Uh… funny seeing you. Aren't you supposed to be up at the Kage's box with the Raikage?"

"He got kicked out actually." Yugito glared at her fellow jinchuriki. Lord A didn't want him pissing off the Kage with his rapping."

"Oh, Yugito, you wound me ya hear? You're words are like a brand, it sears!"

Naruto blinked. "Uh…?"

"Oops… sorry bout that." B reached into his ninja pouch and withdrew a small booklet. A pencil suddenly appeared in his hand as he took notes. "Uh huh… right, short rhymes after a long sentence is a no-go… Got to remember that for my new concert back home…."

The others didn't bother looking at the weird man, instead their eyes were still locked on Naruto and Tayuya who hadn't left the circle of his arms. He looked back at them now. "Hey guys. Long time no see."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Good to see you enjoying yourself Naruto. Didn't think you two would actually work out." His one eye drifted to his left where Asuma was frowning. The Jonin had never been exactly comfortable with her, especially with her history. The fact that she came within a hair's breadth of killing one of his students didn't help. "Actually most of us didn't."

Tayuya turned around to press her back into his chest as he rested his chin on her head. Her violet gaze flicked from person to person. Now that her anger at Naruto had dispersed, she had the time to properly observe those around her. Mainly the astonished looks of the Jonin and embarrassed blushes of the Kuniochi. She eventually settled on two pale grey eyes. She recognized him as the Hyuuga clan head.

Hiashi nodded to her fractionally, but his frown never left. She sighed mentally. This situation was… awkward. Naruto was apparently thinking along the same lines because his arms tightened around her waist. His breath whispered past her ear.

"Want to head to the fighter's balcony Tay-chan?"

"Sure, why not."

He grinned and flashed his friends a peace sign, then vanished from the railing. Both of them reappeared in the fighter's box a split second later. Naruto quickly leaned against one wall, still holding Tayuya. He saluted the others with the same cocky grin. "What's up?"

The other contestants looked at him with various expressions. Not that there were that many to begin with. Yui was standing off to one side with her eyes closed. She looked like she was a little annoyed, but didn't comment. Konohamaru grinned back nervously… but he was obviously nervous about his match with Kurotsuchi… Secretly Naruto didn't give Konohamaru very good chances of beating her… or even surviving without taking dome bad hits. Kurotsuchi was easily a Jonin level Kunoichi.

And for her part, the Iwa girl was giving him a fierce glare hot enough to melt stone. Naruto might have winced from the heat of it, but he'd learned how to deal with Killing intent.. a looong… time ago. Hers was nothing against the Kyuubi. She couldn't even scratch that big furry ball of hate.

But at the same time it gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, like something bad was going to happen. And the look… like she was using her imagination to dismember him… wasn't making him any more comfortable. In fact, it was disconcerting. _"She must still be pissed about her fight with Tayuya-chan earlier. It certainly didn't help things. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she hates both of us. After all I am from Konoha and we both have made fun of her… and beat her in a fight…. I hope she doesn't take her anger out on Konohamaru…"_

Naruto frowned at Kurotsuchi as Tayuya seemed to take notice of her glare… and casually flipped her off. The Iwa girl blinked as if surprised and then her scowl deepened. She almost snarled, whipping her head in the other direction as she waited for her match to start. Naruto noted how her fingers were digging into the railing… splintering the wood in her anger.

" _I'll need to be careful around her. She looks like she'd going to blow up any second now. And out of all of us… I'm the only one of us here who could go up against her in a serious battle. But… she's probably too smart to do that, now that I think about it. She'll just try her best to kill us in the actual tournament… Konohamaru can't beat her… I'll have to step in the case that she tries to go overboard…."_

Kurotsuchi looked away from him as the next match was announced.

Naruto turned to Konohamaru who was popping his knuckles. "Good luck Konohamaru."

"Yeah, sure thing boss! Just you wait for me to win this one so we can have tha match you promised me."

That made Naruto chuckle. "Really? You'd settle the match like that?"

"I don't see why not!" Konohamaru pumped a fist into the air. "Besides, it's the only thing I stand a chance in against you. You'd annihilate me in any other battle. So how about it boss?"

"Fine…fine…." Naruto grinned. "Win this one and we'll see how far you've come with 'that' jutsu. I hope you've been practicing because I'm no slouch with it."

"Hehe…. I know… see ya in a sec."

Konohamaru turned to dart down the stairs as Kurotsuchi used a shun-shin to get to her spot in the arena. The moment they were both gone Tayuya spoke up. "Your little friend is going to get trashed, I can practically guarantee it. That Iwa bitch is out for blood and I would be surprised if she tried to kill him."

"Me neither." Naruto admitted. "And I don't think the proctor is fast enough to stop her when she gets on a roll. But I'll stop her if she tries to go too far."

Tayuya sighed and leaned back. "Yeah, just don't you let her touch you. I don't care if it's a battle or not. You're mine."

Naruto's attention turned away from the arena and his eyebrow rose. "Hm? Now look whose getting possessive…" He smirked and rested his chin on her head. "No promises on the skin contact. I at least have to showcase some of my skills. I can't just drop Hirashin every time. It's no fun then."

She pouted. "Fine, but I…"

He leaned his head down, purring in her ear. "I won't object to doing what we did last night… again tonight… If that's what you were thinking."

Tayuya blushed scarlet. "I..."

"That was what you were asking right?" She nodded, causing Naruto's lips to twist in a vulpine grin. He buried his nose in her red hair, inhaling deeply. Her scent caused his own eyes to drift closed and his stomach churn… He loved this scent… Eventually Naruto pulled away and took her hand, dragging her over to the railing. "Let's see how little bro handles himself."

 **Ooo**

Konohamaru stopped twenty feet from his opponent, sizing her up again. She was taller than him, with a lithe form that was oozing hostility. Her killing intent was off the charts too… Her pink pupilless eyes were burning like oddly colored lava… and he could almost see the thin veil of chakra as she prepared to blast him out of existence.

He didn't like this pairing all that much.

The proctor coughed once and raised his voice to shout. "BEGIN!"

Konohamaru decided to take a page out of Hanabi's book and used the tunneling jutsu to get some distance. He dived into the ground, speeding under the surface and to his right, trying to think of a plan to come out on top. He knew it wasn't likely, but he could still make a good showing of himself!

He popped up a second later… just in time to throw himself to the side, evading a literal hail of shuriken and kunai. Konohamaru cursed as he took in the scene before him. _"Shit!? She has enough chakra to do that too?!"_ Kurotsuchi was standing there forming handseals almost faster than the eye could follow while two shadow clones kept him at a distance.

He growled under his breath and twisted his wrist, activating the small seal that stored his blade. His shortsword appeared in his hand with a puff of smoke and started defecting kunai expertly. He might have been flimsy at best when it came to aiming shuriken, but he was proficient at avoiding and deflecting them. They rang steadily off his blade as he focused chakra to the soles of his feet. _"Just need to get in close and disrupt that jutsu for now. It… oh damn.. I recognize that sequence!"_

Konohamaru blasted forward, making two clones of his own to hopefully keep hers occupied…

"Not gonna let you finish that!" He shouted as he leapt over several kunai aimed at his legs and kept going at breakneck pace. Wincing as both of his clones were dispelled at the same time, Konohamaru doubled his speed, breaking through between her two copies. _"She's fast but if I can just….!"_

He swung, but just as his blade came around to cut her hand off, she ducked. Her hands came together, forming one last handseal before they slapped onto the dirt below. Konohamaru met her triumphant sneer just as he sailed over her head. _"Damn it! That was her plan all along… but that jutsu.. it had way more handseals than it should have. It must be a different style from the Fire Dragon jutsu!"_

Kurotsuchi laughed as the ground beneath her suddenly burst into flame. She had the little brat now. He would be the first Konoha scum to pay…. followed by that… _thing's_ son.

"Shit!"

She grinned wickedly as the earth beneath her became as a liquid, glowing red and orange. She stood up with a jerk, already making the handseals to control her jutsu directly. She also pumped chakra into her skin to repel the heat of the quickly melting earth. " **Lava Release: Greater Primordial Dragon!** " Suddenly, in front of her a head shot from the newly formed lava pool, the snarling dragon's head as large as a bull and blazing white hot fangs steaming.

Kurotsuchi started forming the handseals, turning the dragon around as she swiveled to face her opponent. _"This is the end you little shit. I'll crush you and then burn you to ash!"_ The dragon roared as more and more of its molten serpentine body uncoiled from the ground it's self. Already more than forty feet of its shifting lava form had pulled free, leaving a glowing crater behind.

"Die!"

The dragon launched its self at Konohamaru like a snake, the boy flinging himself to the side and throwing a kunai at the dragon's head. Kurotsuchi smiled as she recognized the explosive tag attached. _"Perfect…. You just fucked yourself there."_ The explosive tag hit the dragon in its open mouth as it plowed past…

-BOOM!-

The explosion blew the dragon's head apart and Konohamaru realized his mistake a second too late as the shockwave threw out a rain of lava. He cried out in alarm and barely managed to evade the scorching missiles. He sheathed his sword quickly and darted away, getting further out of range again. He couldn't fight her up front and personal when she had that jutsu active. And he certainly couldn't outpace her. Even her clones were faster than he was!

But how could he do any damage?!

 **Ooo**

"The kid is in a pinch now…" Jiraiya said, wincing slightly at the sheer power difference. "I don't think he can even touch her at this point. With a Kekkei Genkei like that and him being a Fire user…"

Tsunade nodded, watching as Konohamaru tried and failed to get anything past the large chakra construct, but every time he did damage to it, the thing just recovered using the ever expanding pool of lava beneath it. "The Lava Release Kekkei Genkai… Even in Iwa there aren't many with that bloodline. And she is your granddaughter correct?"

In his seat Onoki nodded. "She is quite skilled with her bloodline, I'll admit. Although I must wonder what my grandchild is thinking… using so much chakra when there is already such a substantial gap in skill. As much as… well, I think we both understand the relation of our villages… however she is most likely attempting to kill him outright."

"I figured as much." Mei said disapprovingly. "She's going out of her way to use beyond lethal force… Does she have something against him or does she hate this village that much? It can't be good for Iwa's and Konoha's relations if the candidate for the next Tsuchikage despises Konoha to such an extent as to kill him this way."

Onoki frowned. "I dislike degrading my own Shinobi… especially my own family, but she isn't behaving how a ninja should…" He sounded calm, but Mei and the other Kage felt his slight alarm. It was obvious to them that the old man was somewhat surprised by his granddaughter's actions. "This may sound odd, but I have always encouraged the elite of my village to respect Konoha, their hatred of the Yellow Flash notwithstanding. I can't do anything about that… and Kurotsuchi has been acting unusual lately…"

"Are you suggesting we call the match off?"

"No…" he allowed. "Merely be prepared to intervene. I accepted the invitation to come here for a reason and I don't want our relations to worsen more than they already have."

Tsunade nodded. "Jiraiya. Get down in range. If it looks like he's about to be incinerated… step in."

"Understood hime. I'll be right back." Jiraiya smirked and used shun-shin to move to the arena's entrance.

As the Toad Sage left Gaara turned his gaze to the fighter's box… and where he could see Naruto and Tayuya at the railing, watching the battle. His gaze drifted to the fight currently taking place… and frowned. It occurred to him that there might be more to this.

"Hokage…? The Konoha boy… I recognize him. I met him during the Chunin exams three years ago. My brother Kankuro and my sister Temari were on the verge of beating him when Naruto appeared with Sasuke Uchiha… His name… Konohamaru was it? Is he not a good friend of Naruto?"

"Why yes… he is. Actually he looks up to Naruto as an older brother. I don't think Naruto realizes it, but Konohamaru is just like him. He even pulls pranks around the village…. It's aggravating, but more bearable. At least we usually catch Konohamaru."

Gaara looked very serious for a moment. "Hokage… I know who Naruto's parents are as well as everyone here."

Tsunade stiffened. "So?"

"Iwa hates the Yellow Flash… and Konohamaru looks up to Naruto as a brother… It isn't a stretch of the imagination that she knows about their friendship. I don't believe that Kurotsuchi is being excessive. I believe she is trying to get to Naruto." Gaara's frown deepened. "I am not one to mince words. The killing intent coming from that girl is strong enough to feel even here. Call the match off before the boy dies."

Lord A leaned forward. "Surely she has more discretion than that! And if I'm not mistaken she's a prodigy in your village. She is smart enough to realize what problems her actions might cause."

Mei glanced down at the battle as Konohamaru rushed at Kurotsuchi… only to throw himself to the side to avoid the Lava dragon. She turned her eyes to A. "She has no discretion. I use Lava Release as well and I know there is no traditional Dragon type jutsu for the style she uses. That jutsu must take enormous amounts of chakra. If she had any discretion at all she wouldn't have used that jutsu at all. Against a Genin it is pure overkill!"

They watched for a moment as Tsunade deliberated.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What is your decision?"

 **Ooo**

"It's time to end this!"

Kurotsuchi saw the desperate look in Konohamaru's eyes as he frantically backpedaled. In his fear it seemed he'd forgotten he could forfeit… All the better for her. The pathetic kid wouldn't be withdrawing and robbing her of her victory. She pulled more chakra from her reserves, preparing to end him in a way that the whole Leaf village would remember! _"You'll not need a grave."_

 **Ooo**

Konohamaru's eyes went wide as the great lava dragon glowed a fierce white, rising higher into the air. Its eyes turned black and its chest bulged outward. A dull roar filled the arena, the hiss of steam a harsh counterpoint as the dragon built up to its last explosive attack. The arena had turned into a furnace and it was about to come crashing down upon him. He paled, frozen in place by the almost gleeful expression on Kurotsuchi's face. The dragon rose higher, the ball of incandescent flame traveling from its chest to its throat.

" _How… how do I escape that….?"_

 **Ooo**

Yugito and Killer B were both clutching the railing, shocked at the amount of chakra the girl had. She had as much as one of the lesser Jinchuriki. And that jutsu… it was going to be massive.

"The hell?! That kid's dead if that hits!" Yugito shouted. "And he's frozen! look! B, get in there and stop the match before she obliterates him!"

B's eyes narrowed behind his shades. He glanced up to the Kage's box. A caught the look and shook his head slightly in the negative. _"Damn… I want to help, but big bro is sayin no… Kid, hope you dodge…"_ He turned back to the match. If it really looked like he would die… he'd step in anyway.

 **Ooo**

Tayuya's hands curled around the railing. "Naruto… he is going to die if she finishes that jutsu." She turned her head to face him.

Naruto's face had set in a hard line. Slowly, over the course of the match his grin had faded, replaced by disappointment... followed by anger. She saw the way the pupils of his eyes were flickering between round and slits… that he was having a hard time not ending the match right there.

"Naruto?!"

 **Ooo**

Kurotsuchi channeled every last bit of the chakra she'd gathered into a final handseal, ending on dragon. "Take this shit stain!"

The dragon above both their heads reared back, its jaws opening impossibly wide. Deep in its throat the glow came forth, forming into a ball of purest white. The blazing chakra was her specialty. Her second most powerful attack would remove this boy from existence for her. And then she'd see the look on ' _his_ ' face the shock and horror at seeing his friend slain. Then he'd feel like she had when she heard how her village had been brought to the brink by a single man. He'd know how she felt when she found out that she'd never see her mother again.

" **Fire Release: Supreme Dragon Flame!** "

The dragon exhaled and a blinding flash lit the sky.

" **Uzumaki Sealing Technique: Flying Thunder God's Heavenly Door!"**

Those who had been about to enter the fray halted in their steps as the dragon's attack vanished in a flicker of red light and detonated with the force of a thousand fireballs high above the arena outshining the sun for a brief moment. They stopped dead, awed by what happened next.

Naruto appeared in a yellow flash, his eyes pools of cold fury. His blond hair was blowing in the breeze that was starting to twine around him and his jaw was clenched hard enough to shatter his teeth.

"That is ENOUGH!"

Instantly, the temperature dropped thirty degrees. Everyone in the arena gasped in astonishment as the ground around Naruto froze, turning white. Naruto's eyes locked onto Kurotsuchi as he whispered under his breath. **"Ice Release: Winter's Embrace**."

Kurotsuchi inhaled, her heated lungs filling with cold air… Her breath hitched and she coughed loudly and took a step back. Her eyes rose to meet Naruto's again. Everything around him was ice, his hair had gone silver with it. And…

-CRACK-

She whirled in time to see a massive spear of ice thirty feet long had sheared through her lava dragon's head, pinning it to the ground. She hadn't heard it happen…. Even as she watched its body was blackening, cooling, and cracking under the power of the creeping chill. A second later the entire dragon shattered like glass, showering the ground in obsidian like chips.

Kurotsuchi was in shock. Her jutsu had a ten minute duration with the amount of chakra she put into it. Even with the powerful blast she'd used it should have been active for another two minutes… but that ice spear had frozen it in seconds. How?! Ice release didn't have an advantage over Lava Release… so he'd need to completely overpower her jutsu.. and that would require an unreal amount of chakra! And how the fuck did he even have Ice Release?!"

She turned back to see Naruto standing there, his furious eyes still on her. He raised his head, growling. "This match is over. You won't harm my precious people… Do you understand that bitch?"

"Is that so?" Kurotsuchi hissed. "So its fine for you to do that but I can't? Really?! You fucking hypocrite! With all the insults you've thrown at me?! And what about Mutsu during the preliminaries?! What do you call that?!"

Naruto growled. "I never intended to kill, unlike you just now. I respect the spirit of this tournament. You were being vicious on purpose. Konohamaru would be dead if I hadn't stepped in." He clenched his fists and turned his head to where the proctor had been hovering on the edge of the fight. "Hey! Proctor. I intervened for Konohamaru, therefore he forfeits the match to her."

His gaze snapped back to Kurotsuchi. "And that means that our match is up."

Kurotsuchi turned to the proctor as the man walked forward, casting her eyes briefly to Konohamaru. The boy was standing there, pale, probably still frozen in fear. She ignored him and spat at the proctor. "Well?! Is the match over?!"

He huffed, his expression showing disappointment in her. "Yeah. The Uzumaki kid's got it right. He intervened so Konohamaru is disqualified. Your match is directly after…" He frowned. "But with that display just now, I'm not sure if it's wise to continue the match…" The proctor swiveled on one foot to face the Kage's box, shooting an expectant look to the Hokage. He blinked in slight surprise as he received a nod from Tsunade. "Well, I guess you have the green light, but I warn you two."

His gaze fell on both of them equally. All five Kage are watching. I want this to be a clean fight. And if I call the match you _will_ stop. Understood?" They both nodded. "Good. Wait until the non-combatant is out of the arena and then you may begin when you're ready."

The proctor's eyes swept over both of them for a second before he used a shun-shin to get out of range. He anticipated a wild battle… He didn't want to be stuck in the middle of those two once they got started.

"Konohamaru."

"Y..yeah?"

"Get the hell out of here."

"Right bro!" He bolted off to the side, heading for the fighter's box.

Naruto watched out of the corner of his eyes as Konohamaru left the arena. He sighed mentally, trying to calm himself. It wouldn't be a good idea to lose it right then. And he needed a few answers from her before the fight ensued.

"Are you ready to meet your maker scum?"

He snorted. "You've got a problem with me bitch? Something that started before the exams? Cause I don't think that trying to kill my friend is very balanced payback for making you look like an idiot a few times… or my girlfriend beating you in a catfight."

Kurotsuchi's eye twitched. "Really? You don't know? Okay… I'll tell you. I hate you. I really fucking hate you."

"Why? I'd never met you before the Exams."

"WHY?!" Kurotsuchi lost it. "WHY WOULDN'T I!?" She screamed. "YOUR FATHER KILLED MY MOTHER!"

Naruto felt a chill run up his spine. "W..what..?" _"How could she possibly know that. Even I don't know my father."_

"That's right you stuck up ass hole. Your precious father killed my mother… and my cousin… and my uncle… and a shit ton of other people! That's the reason I HATE YOU! It isn't because you made me look bad! I'm not some petty academy student, but your _fucking_ dad took my mom from me! I'll never get to see her again because of _him!"_

"But…" Naruto felt his ire diminish. _"I don't even know who my father is… Was he a criminal? Is that why no one will really tell me who he is? Is that why Jiji never told me? Because he didn't want to make me feel bad?"_ He dropped his gaze away from Kurotsuchi's. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…." _"How can I be angry with her now? If it's true she has every reason to hate me."_

"Really!? You think that makes it any better?! You deluded fuck! You know what will make me feel better?! It's beating your ugly face till your own mother couldn't recognize you. Then grinding it into the dirt! That would make me feel better!"

Naruto took a step back. "Wait just a minute though! I don't have anything to do with that! My father is dead… and my mom to for your information. You're not the only one who lost family! You can't hate me just because of who my parents are!"

"I.. I can't? You fucking kidding me? How could I not hate you!? Don't you get it! It's not just me! It's all of Iwagakure that hates your father! AND THAT INCLUDES ANY PART OF HIS CLAN!" Kurotsuchi fists clenched tight, her nails digging into her palms. Her face was red with rage as she stepped forward. "The _reason_ I hate you… is because you should never have been born! The fourth Hokage should have been killed during that battle that took my mother's life! Just the fact that you're alive is a reminder of what I LOST!... All of this is your fau…."

Silence.

Naruto's heart drowned out the rest of her words. It was beating slowly, hard in his ears. _"What did she say…?"_ Naruto looked up into her hate filled pink eyes. Her anger, hot and scorching was forgotten. _"That's impossible. The Fourth Hokage? He's not my father… that c..can't be.."_

"W…what did you just say?"

Kurotsuchi noticed the suddenly dazed look on his face. "What?! Are you surprised that your father is a MURDERER?! What part of that don't you get?!"

"My.. f..father was the… Fourth H..Hokage…?"

"YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT?! WHAT KIND OF RETARD ARE YOU?!"

Naruto took a step back. He couldn't believe that. His father the Fourth Hokage? Why would no one tell him that his father was one of the most famous and powerful men in the world? That… That didn't make any sense!... or… maybe it did.

His eyes squeezed shut, pain lancing through his mind. _"No.. It makes sense. Why he sealed the Kyuubi into me… why no one told me… He was an enemy of Iwa. That's why no one told me… But was he really the hero I thought? She said he killed her family… Everyone in Konoha sings his praises, but was that all just an image? Was… was the man I looked up to for all this time a monster. Did he really do that to her? I thought he was a hero, someone who sought peace! Jiraiya said so!.. but he was his student. He… could he have been lying to spare me the truth?!"_

 **Ooo**

Kakashi was frozen as he heard the Iwa girl reveal the secret they'd been keeping form Naruto all his life… and in the absolute worst way possible…. Blaming his father for the death of her family… _"Oh… no this is bad… Naruto looks like he's having a heart attack."_ Kakashi looked around him, taking in the wide and slack-jawed expressions of the other Shinobi.

Asuma's cigarette had fallen out of his mouth as he blinked slowly… uncomprehending. Guy seemed to be trying to break himself out of a Genjutsu. Even the usually calm and reserved Hiashi looked like he'd been slapped by his own daughter. His pale grey eyes were wide as dinner plates. That didn't even count the expressions of the teens. All of them looked similarly astonished… Hinata very well looked like she might faint, her skin paler than he thought was humanly possible.

Eventually Asuma, who managed to break out of his shock first, nudged him shakily. "Kakashi… you were the Fourth's student… is what the girl said true?"

Kakashi didn't answer, looking back to the Kage's box.

 **Ooo**

"That fool! She just revealed an S-class village secret to the one person it was intended to be kept from!" Tsunade shouted. "Stop the match this instant! Of all the things in the entire world to say that might set him off it was that!"

Onoki's eyebrow was twitching madly. "Tsunade. Allow me to deal with my granddaughter first. As we are in your home she will be punished as you see fit afterwards… I simply cannot believe she did that!" He ground his teeth together. "Idiot girl!"

Tsunade nodded angrily as she stood… only to be stopped by Gaara. "Hokage… Tsuchikage… Wait a moment."

"What?! Why?!"

Gaara pointed down into the arena.

 **Ooo**

Kurotsuchi watched as Naruto sank to his knees, clutching at his head, his eyes shut tight. He was quivering as if in agony. Like an electric current was running through him, lighting his nerves on fire... She sneered and drew a kunai… She would do it now. She would end him and avenge her mother and all those who had died at Minato Namikaze's hands in one stroke. He might have deserved to die slower, but she wouldn't have a much better chance to do it clean without interference.

Her kunai slid quickly out of its sheath and she stalked forward to stab the son of the Yellow Flash…. Only for her to halt as Naruto's body stopped shaking. She frowned as his hands dropped limply to his sides and his entire body relaxed in one moment.

Then she heard a deep amused chuckle.

Naruto's face tilted up.

 **Ooo**

Tayuya shivered uncontrollably as she felt the air around her become heavy. She watched as Naruto looked up to meet his opponent's gaze. His eyes were dark cold slits.

 **Ooo**

Killer B leaned forward. "Yo… what happened just now? His chakra signature just shifted…!"

 **Ooo**

"What was that?" Mei asked hesitantly. "It just felt as though…"

Tsunade's eyes were wide. "No…. this is not good." She turned to regard her fellow Kage. "I may need your help to restrain Naruto if this gets out of hand… but Gaara is right… We should be more cautious… Naruto's psyche may be… delicate at the moment…

They heard the dark chuckle….

 **Ooo**

Kurotsuchi stepped back as Naruto rose smoothly to his feet, his eyes still on her… She couldn't help it.. Couldn't stop her body from acting on its own. She took another step back… and another. He suddenly felt so.. so very _very_ wrong. "Wha…?!" she managed to gasp as she felt the air around her thicken. It was almost like walking through water… the oppressive weight suddenly crushing down on every inch of her body.

"Hehe... How… amazing… I have to say Kurotsuchi… I'm grateful. That was _just_ ** _exactly_** what I needed to get the upper hand and take control again… Thank you…"

Kurotsuchi found herself paralyzed by his eyes. The slit pupils were like nothing she'd ever seen before… and it was terrifying. All her anger was washed away on a tide of fear….

Naruto tilted his head, smirking. "Aw.. come on. Don't be shy… I said thank you… Don't you have something to say in return?... No….? Well if you won't speak then… I can't give you a reward for freeing me?"

She gasped as the pressure on her seemed to triple. Her knees shook with the effort to stand. And the only thing that filled her mind was… who… or _what_ he was… This evil feeling was caustic… She could taste iron on her tongue and she felt nauseous. "Wh..what the h..hell are you…?"

His smirk grew into a devious smile. "Me? What am I? Is that really what you want to know? Oh well, who am I to question that? Very well. As part of my thanks for helping me out… I'll tell you…"

Kurotsuchi choked as Naruto was suddenly right there, his left hand tilting her head to the side as he whispered in her ear. His voice was like a cold steel blade slipping into her flesh… It physically hurt to hear him speak. Naruto's words, like barbs were digging into her ear canal… her face flushing red as blood rushed to her head… trying to keep her from passing out in abject fear.

Naruto's lips brushed her ear as he answered her question.

" _I am Naruto's…. other half. I am his alter ego, yin and yang, one of two sides to the same coin. In short… I am Naruto's hate, his fear, his rage, his loneliness… Everything he ever kept bottled up inside makes up everything that I am…. When Naruto walks the village and the people curse his existence… I am the hate hiding behind his smile. When he chases the girl of his dreams… I am the one asking what the hell he sees in her. When he shouts that he wants to be Hokage… I am the voice asking why we should even bother…."_

Kurotsuchi could feel his voice carving up the inside of her skull as she was practically _breathing_ his killing intent.

" _I am his hidden desires that he keeps suppressed. I_ _am_ _him…. and at the same time I am different. I am me. Two minds from one, created by that very iron-clad will you broke so easily just now. You see… what I want is very different from what he wants. He wants to bring peace to the world… and all that nice goody-two-shoes stuff. I just want to see all those who treated us like trash suffer. I want us to be in charge of our own life, with no one to tell us what to do or why we should do it. I want to be free…. And when you told my other side that our father was the Fourth Hokage… he was stunned… It was kept from him his entire life… and therefore… it was also kept from me. It's stupid really. He's too dense to do so, but I at least should have connected the dots…. But I didn't… Still, it was the perfect opportunity. He surrendered control like he_ _wanted_ _me to take over. Like he knew he couldn't cope with it…."_

" _Now… I'm off the leash… out of the cage… free as bird."_ Naruto's voice seemed to deepen in her ear as his voice rose, louder and louder… until he was almost shouting….

" _But you…. you just screwed up… You want to know why? You just let the mother fucking cat out of the bag… and this cat doesn't like to hear you dissing his father… no matter how much I hate that he crammed a demon in my gut. You just insulted one of the few people that both I and my other half respected. It may be for different reasons, but we still feel the same yearning to be like him. He is STILL our father. And you_ _girl_ _just insu_ lted him! You fucked up big time… And I think I'm done being nice. You got your reward for letting me out… but you're still living on borrowed time!"

Naruto's hand slipped down her face to grasp her throat. "You think you have it bad? So what?! You're mom died?! She was killed in battle when _your_ village was _stupid_ enough to attack Konoha, knowing full well how powerful my father was! If you want to blame anyone here blame your precious Tsuchikage! He is the idiot who order the attack wasn't he?!"

Kurotsuchi struggled weakly. Her limps wouldn't respond to her urging… her legs refused to kick. Her arms failed to rise. Her mouth was open gasping for air… but breathing seemed almost impossible. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed instead of her throat. Naruto was… killing her… and she couldn't raise a finger to stop him… The power of his hate… his longing… his fear… It overpowered hers so completely that her body went limp in his grasp.

Only her mind remained working as her pink eyes took in his eyes… her ears registering his words.

"Do you know why I don't think there will ever be peace? It's because people just can't let shit go. I am no different. When you insult my father or my mate or my village…. I lose my cool. I want to hurt you for it. But at least my anger is reasonable. Your village on the other hand….? No that's about as far from reasonable as you can get! You attacked US! You sent your army to destroy OUR homes, kill OUR people, ruin OUR lives. And when we defend ourselves so well that your entire army is nearly annihilated….. you call US murderers?! What kind of sick joke is that?!"

Naruto growled and his eyes flashed crimson. "When Itachi Uchiha slaughters his whole clan and my friend seeks revenge… That is reasonable! That is something you expect! But when your family tried to kill off mine and you fail! And then you hate us for it?! That is bullshit! People will place the blame for just about anything on other people to avoid being blamed themselves… or to take their anger out on something. It's part of human nature ya know! Just like when the Fourth sealed the Kyuubi inside of me! The village hated me like I was the monster inside me! I hated that, but I never moved against them. I played nice… tried to get their respect, to be the good guy."

Naruto suddenly released her throat, dropping her to the dirt below. He stood tall, his head raised to take in the spectators stands. The assembled civilians, Shinobi, lords… and Kage… all stared back. They were still… silent. Not a word was spoken in the entire arena while he impaled them with his gaze. Then… his eyes dropped down to her again.

"I'm done being the good guy…. Doesn't mean I'm the bad guy…. But from now on…. I'll do what I damn well please… And to those who get in my way!..."

His voice cracked across the arena, "…God's speed…"

Kurotsuchi saw him step forward. She gasped and crawled backwards, fear finally unfreezing her muscles, restoring her mobility. But he was already there.

"Wha…what are you going to do to me?"

Naruto paused and seemed to stare off into the distance. She followed his gaze to the fighter's box before his eyes flicked back to her. He smiled easily. "Well Kurotsuchi…. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I fully intend to kill you."

A shout came from just to Naruto's right. "HOLD IT!" Kurotsuchi saw the proctor standing there. "I expressly forbid that! She is obviously defeated. Take your win and be done with this."

Naruto's head cocked to the side and… as if speaking to himself… he asked, "What is it about _I'll do what I damn well please_ that people just don't understand? I didn't just do that big long monologue for no reason… Fuck… it's like they weren't listening at all?"

He sighed and pointed his finger at the proctor. " **Ice Release: Shatter Canon**."

The proctor's eyes went wide and he dodged backwards...

Kurotsuchi felt something hot splash across her face and drip down, soaking into her flak jacket. Her eyes dropped and she paled. Her entire upper body was covered in blood and gore. She looked up…. As the proctor's lower body toppled to the ground.

Naruto lowered his arm and turned back to her. "Now... Where were we before that little interruption? AH! I remember! I was about to end your miserable lif…."

Suddenly Naruto found himself surrounded as nine figures dropped down around him. He went still as his head turned to regard them coolly. The five Kage… along with Killer B, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and… Tayuya. He closed his eyes briefly, a sigh of annoyance escaping his lips. "I should have just killed you when I had the chance before. Now I'm going to have to work for it."

"Naruto, I order you to stand down! You are to cease and desist immediately!" Tsunade stepped forward. "What possessed you to…"

"Shut up you withered old hag. If I wanted to hear a corpse talk down to me I'll learn Edo Tensei and resurrect Madara Uchiha. Unless you're going to let me kill her first…. you have nothing I want and nothing to bargain with. None of you are as fast as I am. She is already marked with the Hirashin seal. She will die regardless." Naruto's eyes fell on Kurotsuchi as he ignored her. "It will only be a second. You can berate me later."

The other Kage stiffened and Lord A frowned. "Watch it boy. Do you think you can defeat all five of the Kage at once?"

"Do I think I could do it under these circumstances?... No. Do I think I could do it if at least three of you were marked with a Hirashin seal? Yes… I am not the child you think I am Raikage. If my other half is my charisma and my kindness… I am hold the intelligence and the cunning. But we are both strong and besides… Gaara would side with me… would you not Gaara?"

The Kazakage shifted. "Naruto… is this personality really you?"

"Half of me… figuratively speaking…. Does it matter to you? We are practically brothers. Be both fell the same burden you and I. We have similar pasts…"

Gaara closed his eyes. "I could not harm you… as you are correct… You are like a brother to me, but at the same time you have strayed down a dangerous path today… One that I will not follow. I would not side with you either." Gaara pursed his lips for a moment, his cold green eyes meeting Naruto's. "I think you should let the girl go. She hasn't truly committed a crime worth such a punishment."

Naruto's eyes narrowed and the air became heavier, his killing intent making if feel like they were walking under water. He was still for a long moment before… at last… letting out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. You guys win this one. I'm done with this Exam anyway." He stepped past Kurotsuchi, shooting her a glare as he passed and continued to stop in front of Jiraiya and Kakashi. Both were eyeing him carefully. Kakashi was pale and Jiraiya was even paler if that was possible.

The Kage turned in unison as Naruto confronted his two teachers. The arena was once again silent. And then Naruto smiled, the expression seeming at once malicious and sincere… and said, "Unfortunately… killing either of you wouldn't be satisfying at all. You both beat yourselves up over the past already… Letting you live is more of a punishment than anything I could think up… But… on the other hand I can't just let both of you off the hook…." Naruto turned on his heel. "Give me a week or so. I'll think of something inventive to get back at you for keeping everything from me."

Naruto stopped again, looking down at Tayuya. She was trying hard to meet his eyes, but failing to do so. He didn't like it… He didn't like her, but there was a warm ache in his chest when he caught her scent drifting past. His shoulders loosened and he stepped forward snatching her arm and speaking to the Kage behind him. "I have no more interest in winning the exam… Tell that Yui girl to have a good day. Looks like she won by default."

He vanished.

And then chaos crashed down over the entire Arena.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya fell into bed as Naruto Landed on his feet in the middle of the room. She hurriedly sat up, watching him warily, frightened. His eyes were still hard and that cold fury had returned to his face and posture. She could feel it in the air, could taste his anger.

"Damn them… I just can't win can I? I want them to pay… but there almost doesn't seem any point to it! I want to kill that bitch, but Gaara was exactly right. She's not worth taking the time to destroy… no matter how good it would feel." Naruto snarled and paced across the room, placing his hand to the wall, fingers splayed out.

Tayuya watched as he activated the complex pattern of security seals around the apartment. He waited a moment as the back kanji spread across ever wall and then faded into nothing. When he finished he moved to the bathroom and turned on the sink. She was still as he splashed cold water in his face, pulling his fingers through his hair in an aggravated gesture she recognized… The _other_ Naruto did that too.

"Are you going to ask why? Or are you going to just sit there like a decoration?"

Tayuya started as his voice came from the bathroom. She had to suppress the urge to shudder from the tone of his voice… The low rough quality was disturbingly like his other self when he was aroused. She looked down at the floor. Was he the evil Naruto? Was the other one the good Naruto? What did he even want from her? And why was she so hesitant about it now. She promised herself that if this version of the blond ever popped up again she'd be ready for it. But it seemed like she was too afraid of him to use any of her newly acquired skills against him.

"Well? I can smell your fear Tayuya-chan… Why don't you ask who the real one is?"

She stiffened as he came back into the room, his face still dripping with water and his hair wet. His slitted eyes were still cold and calculating, but they'd lost some of their harshness. Tayuya saw his conflicted expression. It reminded her so much of how Naruto looked sometimes…. The other one at least.

"I'm… confused... what do you want?"

"What do I want?" He paused. "Good question. I answered it already though. I want to be free of all constraints. Or… perhaps not all, but any I don't want will be removed. That's my goal in a nut shell."

Tayuya frowned. "So you _are_ the real Naruto?" Her heart fluttered, expecting the answer to be yes. She fully expected to find that… only a day after she let herself give in to him… he became someone else. Even though that would crush her. To be forced to live with... _this_... one so soon after she admitted her feelings for his other half…

He tilted his head. "Yes and no. Not maybe though. I am and I'm not. I was dishonest with you last time. I am not the _real_ Naruto so far as that goes." Naruto's voice was low… somewhat pained. "I'm half of him. Call me the pessimist and him the optimist. We are one and the same but we never mix. If you want the truth…. He's more real than me. I'm only a way of thinking, his bottled up wants and desires… his fear and regrets. I'm a big part… but not the one that has been living for the last decade."

Naruto smiled. "I…. we…. Are complicated."

"So…." Tayuya hesitated. "You are the opposite of him?"

Naruto closed his eyes. His seemed to consider this for several moments. Then he shook his head. "No… But there are many things that we differ on. For example the Uchiha."

"…Sasuke?"

"Yes. If it were up to me I would have left the village with him and helped him kill Itachi. He deserved to get his revenge. As for him going to Orochimaru, I think that was idiotic and I would have killed him rather than let that snake get his hands of the Sharingan. That is just one thing that we are on opposite sides about." Naruto growled. "But we both see him as a brother… merely in different ways."

Tayuya glanced away from him, unsure of what to say. It took a moment before anything clicked in her mind. "Wha….. How do you feel about… me….?

"I think it would be easier if I just show you." Tayuya blinked and froze as he stepped forward and dropped onto the bed next to her. His fingers gripped her chin and… he pulled her into him. Their lips met and a warm starburst exploded in her chest. Naruto's hand slipped down and curled around her waist, pulling her, dragging her further into the kiss. She didn't know how to react.. He.. not Naruto… but _he_ was kissing her! He was…! And it felt just like the night before. Tayuya couldn't prevent a soft moan from escaping her lips as she was bent backwards onto the bed, Naruto's claws raking down her sides.

Naruto suddenly pulled back, ending the kiss as quickly as it started. Tayuya, instinctively reached out to grab him, but he caught her hands. "Do you understand now?"

"No! ….I don't… but."

"But nothing… I…" His face went through several expressions before settling on something approaching a smirk… "I want to kill you… but there's too strong a bond between you and my other half… When I think about killing you I start to feel defensive for no reason and I just can't…" His eyes softened even more. "It's not what I personally wanted… Even if I can completely subjugate my other half… I can't cleanse myself of his wants and emotions…"

Naruto's darker half smiled in a self deprecating way. "I probably seem bipolar."

She could only nod in agreement, her expression warring between going pale and heating with a bright blush. It was so.. hard… He was Naruto but he wasn't _her_ Naruto. But they were the same person! It was just so….!

"But that's beside the point. I can't kill you because…." He leaned forward again, inhaling her scent. "I won't let myself do it. I want to… but every time I catch your scent…" Naruto's eyes closed as he inhaled. "I get this feeling in my chest and I want to wrap my arms around you…."

Tayuya looked up into his eyes. A question was pushing at the back of her mind. Something important. She was a bit startled when it finally came to her lips. "So… _you_ and… _him_ … feel the same way about _me_?"

"Not exactly the same…." A smirk once again appeared on his face as his eyes opened. "Being that I am more physical in my desires and he more emotional… I suppose it would be more accurate to say that he _loves_ you… and I am in _lust_ with you…" He sighed and, as if against his will, pushed in again.

Tayuya felt Naruto's lips on her forehead and his growling voice in her ears. "I have apparently been out maneuvered by myself…"

"You…..?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes.. yes, I love you…" He grinned lopsidedly. "Now… I am, very frustrated. I want to kill _several_ people, but as luck would have it, it would do me no good. Would you mind distracting me?" She started as she felt a cool hand caress her cheek. Naruto… _this_ Naruto actually seemed to blush slightly. " _He_ got to enjoy you before I did… And unlike him, I'm a very jealous person so…."

His lips brush her ear. _"Would you mind a repeat performance?"_ Tayuya gasped as be bit her softly, his lips trailing down her neck to her shoulder. There he stopped. _"Mmm….. Well?"_

Tayuya turned her head to the side, looking into his eyes. They were half lidded with some phantom pleasure, his expression unbelievably suggestive. His sapphire orbs seemed to question her, asking… permission. And….. she gave her answer.

"No…"

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **So there. That's the big change I made. And the entirety of the story is altered for it. Plus I think this is how it should have gone. Like hell Tayuya would just accept Dark Naruto after all of that… after all he's done to her. He might be the same person, but as far as she is concerned he is a different man entirely. She didn't fall in love with Dark Naruto. She fell for good Naruto. And the next chapter will reflect that choice.**

 **For those who despised the original ending I merely hope they've kept an eye on the story so that they can see how it was supposed to turn out originally.**

 **Thank you and I'm out. Remember to PM or review your thoughts on the matter. And also remember to check out the new story I'm posting, called "Incarnation" a Naruto/Akame ga Kill crossover!**


	13. Chapter 12 - Melting

**Back by popular demand! Sealing Twilight in its second redo chapter (chapter 12) is ready for reading! Yay!**

 **Anyway, enough of that nonsense. I'm glad I still have so many followers on this story! It means I've done a good job! Now I know you've all been waiting for this chapter so lets not waste anymore time! The reader reviews and then onto the chapter!**

 **blazingboy:** **I'm glad you like Dark Naruto. He's one of the my favorite characters in the story as well! Never fear, for his moments will continue!**

 **5H1N1GAM1** **: Yes yes I knew that redoing the chapters made a couple readers angry or annoyed, but to be perfectly honest… I'm writing these stories for myself as well and I just couldn't see continuing that story. This being said I don't abandon my stories. I put them on hold and get back to them later when I have the inspiration to finish. Also… dark Naruto is more complex than he's given credit for. He's not a different person. He's still Naruto.**

 **ArcaneLucario** **: Thank you for understanding why she wouldn't say yes!**

 **HolyShadowLord** **: I'm glad I managed to turn one of my readers back to this story! I always intended on going back and changing "Yes" to "No" but when I saw some of the reviews I thought I'd permanently lost a lot of my readers! Thanks for having a little faith!**

 **So! Onward we go unto Sealing Twilight chapter 12!**

 **(I don't own any part of Naruto)**

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 _ **Chapter 12 – Melting**_

 _ **Ooo**_

 _ **Ooo**_

Naruto's expression seemed to shatter like poorly made glass. His wanting blue eyes hardened and his blush faded.

He drew back. "You…. you don't want _me…"_

Tayuya's breath hitched. She wanted to reach out, to comfort him, to take back what she'd just said. But that was the problem. This wasn't her Naruto. This was the other one, the one who freely admitted to wanting to kill her at one point. The one who _had_ killed without a shadow of remorse. He might have been part of Naruto and he may have been in the same body… the same body that set her heart beating a thousand miles an hour… but he was not the part she had _at last_ admitted to loving.

"You don't want me… I knew it…" His eyes dropped away from hers. He pulled back even further, his fingers slipped from her skin. A pained sigh escaped him as he withdrew completely, retreating to the other side of the bed. She watched as he turned away from her. "I knew you couldn't care for me too… even when I'm part of him… you only care for that idiot… that freak who's always forgiving people for no reason and trying to do the impossible…"

"Naruto…"

"No!" He suddenly growled low in his throat. His anger rising. His eyes flicked to her, the slit pupils of his eyes narrowed and the blue bleeding red. "You…. You don't understand!" Naruto was over her in the blink of an eye. His hands holding her down. "I am him Damn it! I'm the smart part, the cool part, the strong part! Why can't you care about me the same way you care for him?!"

Tayuya recoiled as Naruto's eyes burned crimson. She didn't understand. Where had this come from?! This part of Naruto was always so cool and collected! Why was he losing it so suddenly?! And she thought he had control over the Kyuubi!

"Why can't you feel for me… what you feel for him?! WHY!? I can take care of you, protect you, get you anything you ever wanted!" His grip tightened. "Is it because I came second? Because I'm unknown? Because you didn't open up to me?! I WISH YOU HAD! I wish that I was the one who was on the outside when you told me exactly how you felt. It.. WHY do you have to choose him over me?!"

Pain caused Tayuya to hiss as she felt a dark red chakra seeping from him. She realized it then… She'd said the wrong thing. She should have claimed she wasn't ready… Should have played it safe. Now he realized that the only person he cared for in the slightest had rejected him… He was the part of Naruto that felt neglect the keenest, though he rarely showed it, and she just told him she didn't love him…"

Tayuya looked into his furious, sad, confused, hollow red eyes and saw…. He might just kill her…

Naruto's hand released one arm and grabbed her by the throat. Her eyes went wide in terror as his malicious aura dropped down across her like a ten fathom sea. "You hate me don't you… ju **st like the rest of the village… I'm… a monster aren't I?"**

She cried out as his scalding skin burned her neck despite the fact that he wasn't squeezing. He seemed to be the slightest push away from throttling her. Tayuya gasped, fighting the pain even as something cold hit her cheek and trailed down.

He was crying…

Naruto Uzumaki was crying…

Tayuya couldn't help it. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, heedless of the violently swirling chakra. It etched its self into her flesh even as she flared her chakra in a desperate attempt to defuse the Kyuubi's chakra.

He froze.

Tayuya whimpered as she experienced the withdrawal of the red painful aura. It felt like an hour before the burning energy seeped back into his flesh leaving them both singed by its power. She waited. The cold feeling of tears were now spilling down the side of her neck.

"Why… Tay-chan…?" Naruto's voice had returned to normal, but there was a deep sorrow etched into it. "Why… I just told you how I felt… I dropped my walls… h..hoping that you would too… Why can't you want me the way you want him? We both want you…" He drew in a long breath.

" _I want you…"_

She withdrew, falling back to the bed even as he stayed above her, his eyes red and sore. It wasn't a look that she ever wanted to see on him, regardless of which side was in charge. It was the look of someone who put their faith in another, hoping to be accepted… only to be let down. It didn't help his case that he'd been so cavalier about it right up until the moment when she said no… but she guessed now that his calm exterior was just another mask. This Naruto was the most chaotic one, the one that bore the hatred of both halves…

He openly had said that more than once… So why had she ever thought that he'd be okay with rejection? Of course he would lash out. Especially since it was her who rejected him. From what she knew of Naruto's life here in the village there might be only ten people who _both_ sides cared about. And she was at the top of the list.

Tayuya blinked… and realized that he'd _lied_ to her. When he said that his other half was in love with her and his feelings were only of lust… that was an outright lie. He did love her but didn't want her to know it, or perhaps couldn't admit it to himself… Oh Kami this was so confusing and heartrending at the same time!

Tayuya let out a breath and only hesitated a moment before putting a hand on his cheek. "Naruto…"

He didn't answer for a long moment as the sapphire blue bled back into his eyes, replacing the crimson of the Kyuubi. "Yes…?"

"May I have the other Naruto back?"

"…No…"

"Please…"

Naruto growled and grabbed her hand. "No. I mean it… You'll just.. forget about me then…" His face contorted in an expression of loneliness. "I'm not going back inside a cage and have to watch _him_ be happy with you. I know he would abandon me! He'd hug you an.. and kiss you… and you wouldn't even think of me after a while…"

Tayuya put a hand on his, wresting her wrist from his grasp. "Listen… I promise that neither one of us will forget about you. And… I promise that he will let you out again. But… I can't just be with you. You and he might be the same person but you aren't the same man." She smiled faintly. "Do you understand what I mean Naruto-kun?"

He swallowed hard. "You will forget…"

"I won't. That is a promise."

"People break promises. You would sacrifice your word and live with him for the rest of your life… I know it. You don't have to lie to me… It hurts…"

Tayuya grabbed _his_ hand then. "It wasn't a lie! If I promise that Naruto will let you out again, then he will… okay? I just can't do this like it is. You don't understand what it's like! Falling for someone one day and then the next he's a different person!"

"Tay-chan… the same person…"

"No you aren't… You are all the negative parts of Naruto that formed an entirely different personality… I can't say you're evil because you're not." She sighed and placed a hand on his cheek again, smoothing over his whisker marks. Naruto's eyes drifted closed and a small smile pulled at his lips as he nuzzled his face into her hand… merely taking pleasure in her touch. The look on his face morphed from sadness to enjoyment. Tayuya watched as he turned his face to kiss the palm of her hand, his oppressive aura evaporating instantly.

It was a profound moment. As if raw instinct was pushing through. "Tay-chan… I want to be here… not locked away…"

"I know…" She murmured. "Let me have your other half for a while… We will work something out okay? Then you can come out again. But you can't just pin me down like this next time… You're two different people in one… I'll have to get to know you just like the other part."

"You won't… Even if you let me out… you would still choose him."

"I will get to know you too, just give _my_ Naruto a chance…" She rubbed his cheek affectionately. Naruto let out a sound that was almost a purr and… buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Naruto!?" She could feel his hot breath on her skin and it was oh so hard not to make a sound he would take as an invitation to go further. But a second later he pulled away, his face red with a deep blush and his mouth open. She saw his sharp canines as he breathed deeply. "Naruto…?"

He closed his eyes. "Can I have one thing before _I_ go?"

She blinked in surprise but suppressed it. He was going to let the other half have control after all? Had he given up? "Yes?"

A tear suddenly fell from his left eye, dropping onto her face. His voice by contrast strengthened, if only slightly. His next words came out sounding like a command, but… she knew it was little more than a hopeful request.

"Promise… I get to see you from the outside again…"

"I promise."

He nodded once and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her cheek… and then his eyes went blank, looking off into the distance for a moment. She wondered what he was doing for a brief moment, before he seemed to snap out of a trance. It took less than ten seconds. His eyes turned to her then. "He isn't ready."

Tayuya frowned. "What do you mean he isn't ready? He doesn't want to take control?"

"He can't…" Naruto voice was a little pained as he saw her expression. "Sorry but… he isn't like me… When he heard about who our… my… his father was… it hurt him. Right now he can't cope with it."

"He's in shock?"

Naruto nodded, biting his lip. His gaze lingered on her as if he was guilty for not being able to do as she asked. And yet his expression was hopeful as though she might still change her mind and let him stay permanently. He eventually forced himself to look away from her and pushed back to the other side of the bed again. "I don't know how long… might be a long time."

She sat up, keeping her eyes on Naruto. "How long…?"

"Don't know…" He swallowed hard, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. "A while maybe."

Tayuya examined him for any trace of deceit but found none. He was being as genuine as he could be. The only real slight towards her that she sensed was his desire to turn her attention towards him. The blond looked as though he was having a difficult time keeping himself in check. He obviously wanted her to treat him the same as his other half. That she was sure of… and she wouldn't put it past the dark side of her lover to try and trick her…. Once he managed to get a handle on his emotions again.

"Can you help him?" She asked quietly, as if it were something as simple as that.

Naruto's frown appeared then. He seemed to debate it in his head. The warring emotions there swirled, changing the cast of his eyes. Eventually his hands clenched and he growled deep in his throat. "I Don't want to…"

"But you can?"

"Yes…"

She leaned forward. "Would you do that please? I promised that you would be able to come out again once I'd spoken to your other half and arranged things… You should…"

His head turned away from her, making her words die in her throat. "No… I don't want to. If he stays inside longer then I can spend more time here. It won't matter right? I can stay…" He turned back to her. Naruto's eyes locked onto hers. "Please…? I want to stay here… at least until he recovers okay..?"

"That isn't…"

Naruto's eyes snapped crimson again, his body reacting to her words like a gunshot. He was on top of her in a split second, his arms holding her down as the bloody orbs locked onto hers. She lay very still as his dark _wanting_ expression rested firmly on her. "I _want_ to stay here." His voice had lost the uncertain quality now, becoming commanding again with that familiar ring of power. "If he can't come back to you on his own, then I get you to _myself_."

"No." She shook her head again, scowling. "That isn't what is going on here. You don't get to _have_ me out of default. Either you help your other half come back or you wait until he's ready on his own. And I won't have sex… or _anything_ like that… until I've spoken with your other half."

His red eyes narrowed. "Hm…." A humming note came from him as he seemed to digest this information. Tayuya realized that he'd quickly reigned in his emotions. This smooth almost languid power was very reminiscent of the darker Naruto she knew originally. He sighed. "You sure?"

Tayuya was about to answer when she felt a pleasurable chill run up her side. She glanced down to see Naruto's clawed fingers slipping up under her shirt, brushing over her fair skin. Naruto purred low in his throat. "I can make you feel _good_ … Just let me stay and I'll make you forget about him…"

She wanted to moan at the purr in his voice. Damn him! Damn him for doing all these horrible wonderful things to her with this body! It was so hard to resist this. She knew it wasn't him… This wasn't the one who had made love to her for hours. He couldn't be the one who purred " _I love you"_ over and over, biting and nibbling every inch of her exposed skin. This was the dark one now… and she hated that he could still make her feel this way. It wasn't FAIR that he could use his body to fuck with her like this!

"Get off!" She almost shouted, furious that he was doing this AGAIN! One hand rose to smack him upside the head… hard. She added enough chakra to it to make sure he was seeing stars. The she was on top of him, straddling him. "Now listen…! Stop acting like a child throwing a tantrum! You're not the Naruto who made love to me last night. You're his alter ego, his dual personality! Stop… just stop using his body against me!"

Naruto paled as she brought her head crashing forward against his. Both of them winced inwardly but only he showed the pain. "Now… since it seems like the only thing you understand is force… let me TELL you to help _my_ Naruto to come back or so help me I will never let you even touch me again!" She roared that last part in his face, practically shoving the words down his throat. "Do you understand?!"

He growled. "You don't care about me… why should I let him have you.. ever? If you are going to love him and never give me a chance, then I should lock him away permanently. At least then we'll both be miserable."

"Don't fuck with me. If you want me just as bad as he does then prove it! Not by trying to seduce me and not by threatening me! Got it! Now I don't even know how to tell you how fucking shitty this feels! I want to hold you, kiss you, tell you it's alright. But I don't know which one would hear. I know you are more manipulative than he is. You're different people by now after all… so… doesn't it sound reasonable to let me get to know you before you try to lock away the man I fucking fell in love with?!"

She sat up, climbing off him and collapsing onto bed next to him. "For fucks sake, you have me cursing again you dipshit. And I was finally going to stop that crap." Tayuya glared back at him, her eyes glowing with barely restrained anger and frustration. "You bring your other half back to the surface… or we will go back to square one and stay there."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Fine… but… If you don't keep your side of the bargain and let me out again… If you don't give me the chance you promised…" He sat up, looking her in the eye. "… and if I ever get control back, I'll shred his consciousness to ribbons."

"Then fucking get to it. I'm not going to forgive you for this shit until I see your other half again. And you don't get a damned goodbye kiss either."

They stared at each other for a long time, neither looking away. Then at last Naruto broke contact and turned around, leaning his back against the wall. He growled low in his throat and closed his eyes.

Tayuya watched for a moment… and then he went limp. She crossed her arms and turned her eyes forward, not looking at him. A few seconds ticked by before her shell cracked and she started crying…

 _ **Ooo**_

 _ **Ooo**_

Walking across the mindscape, he managed not to look at the towering Biju not a hundred feet from him. His eyes stayed locked on the still form of his other half. _He_ sat there, knees tucked up under his chin, arms wrapped around his legs… It seemed as if he'd been crying for a long time.

It was honestly hard to care.

" **Why are you back here?"**

"Why do you think? Tay-chan refused to even let me touch her until he was in charge again." He cursed several times, mostly aiming his words towards his opposite. "I just don't get it… How can she not understand how I feel?!"

" **I could ask you the same thing from her point of view."**

"Oh _fuck_ off."

" **Duly noted. But I can't see anything with you in control. I fail to see what the girl has to do with you coming back here…"**

"Isn't it obvious? She wants him back."

" **And you're going to release him."** Kurama shifted, curious. His crimson eyes stayed fixed on him. **"I'm surprised. I didn't think you had it in you."**

Naruto turned, glaring at the fox. "WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE?! On one hand I can stay with her as I am but she will hate me for it! I can't stand the thought of her disliking me, much less THAT!? But if I let him go then she'll toss me aside like a broken doll and my other half will leave me down here to rot!" He screamed his frustration at the fox. "I just want HER! I want to hold her, kiss her, BE WITH HER! I would settle for being her fucking servant if I could just be there from now on… Why can't anyone understand that! I would take a sword for Tayuya! Every single day if I had to. Can't she understand that…?"

He clutched his chest, head dropping. His eyes met his reflection in the damp water under his feet. "I don't want any of this… I wish I never existed…" He looked over to where his carbon copy was. "If I never existed in the first place… I'd still be a part of him… We wouldn't have to fight over her. I could be with her every moment of the day…"

He raised his hand to wipe at his face. "When he kissed her… I would too… There wouldn't be any need for this. She wouldn't have to love me or him. There wouldn't even be a me or him. It _would_ be me and him… _us…_ Us as one person."

" **You're not evil…"**

"Thanks for telling me… It won't help though. I'm already labeled as the "bad" Naruto. He… He's the "Good" guy, the one she wants, the one she cares for. I'm just a problem, getting in the way." Again the hand raised brushing the tears from his eyes. "I would.. do anything to be with her… I'd rend mountains in half, bring her the rarest artifact in the world… just if she asked… Am I so weak…? Can I not live without someone… just because I fell in love with her beautiful face, trapped behind cage bars….? When can I kiss her? Why can't I brush her hair from her face while she sleeps…?"

Kurama closed his eyes and settled down on his front paws. **"You aren't bad either… The truth is you are the part of Naruto that hurts. You are the pain that he couldn't shoulder. I have nothing against you really, just as I have no quarrel with him."** He sighed. **"If you ever want to be the one who is loved by her… you need to find the reason you and Naruto separated in the first place. Only then can you be one and the same again."**

Naruto looked up at the fox, eyes searching. "How!? It's been more than ten years since we split! How can I mend the tear if I don't know what or where it is?!"

" **You alone can't. You'll have to work with him if you ever want to love the same girl… and have her affection returned. For now I advise waking your other half as gently as possible. He took the news of his lineage much harder than you did."**

"He's weak… He doesn't deserve her!"

"…"

"I… Fuck! Don't look at me like that!" Naruto forced himself to turn around. "Why can't I just be with her…? Why does he have to constantly be in the way!?"

" **Naruto…"**

"What?!"

" **I am not your enemy… He is not your enemy. Help him and he will help you."**

"I don't want him to help me! I don't need his help. I would never let him out if it wasn't for her."

" **Then do it."** Kurama's ears twitched as his eyes flicked to where the other half of the blond sat. **"Whether you want his help or not, you need it."**

Naruto let out a long breath and… nodded. "Fuck it then… if Tay-chan wants it she gets it."

 **Ooo**

Naruto blinked and looked up as he felt something tap him on the back. He wiped his eyes and… froze…

"W..what do you want?"

"Get the hell up."

Naruto shrank back from the angry blue eyes. "You… YOU…!

"Yeah yeah… It's me. Now are you over the whole dad thing or not?"

"Wha..?" He blinked and… went still. Naruto's head slowed and he seemed to retreat into himself. "…go away… I don't.. want to talk to you about it."

"Well too bad. _We are_ talking about it."

"No. Leave me alone." Naruto curled his arms around his legs tighter, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Yes we _are._ "

"…no…"

The dark side of Naruto's personality growled as his eye twitched with anger. There were many things he hated about his _good_ half. This weakness was part of it… And right now it was that same weakness that was coming between him and Tayuya. So damn it… _he would_ get over it!

He bent down and grabbed his other half by the front of his identical jacket and hoisted him into the air. "Listen to me you little shit! I don't like you and you don't like me, but right now Tay-chan wants to see you and you sure as hell are going to get over this! Why are you having this much trouble with the Fourth Hokage being our father?! What is so bad about that?!"

"L..let go of me!"

"Not until you snap out of this! Now get over it or I… GAH!?" A choked gurgle escaped him as a fist slammed into his throat. He quickly let go of his counterpart and staggered back, clutching at the tenderized meat of his neck. "Ow… fuck that hurt!"

"Leave me ALONE! You don't understand me! You don't even care!"

"You're absolutely right asshole! I don't care about you!"

The light stared right at the dark, blue eyes perfectly matching each other. "Then why…?"

"Because." He growled angrily. "You went and fell for Tayuya and as much as I hate to admit it… I couldn't help but fall too. Now she lo… _cares_ for you, but she can't stand me. How do you think that feels you self righteous idiot?!"

"I don't care…"

"Like hell you don't! You're just too hung up on the fact that your.. OUR father was the Fourth Hokage. That is your problem. It doesn't matter if the old man lied to us. He probably has lied to the whole village plenty of times!"

"…"

The darker half scowled. "Don't give me that look! This isn't my fault! I just… Damn you!" He whirled around, putting his back to his other half. "I just want to be acknowledged. Just like you always wanted. Is that so much to ask?!"

"Why can't you _leave_ me _alone_?"

"Because you idiot! Your girlfriend wants you out there!" He screamed, glaring, trying to look anywhere but at his pathetic reflection. "I don't care about how you feel. And I sure as hell don't want to listen to your stupid whining about our father! But if you're going to curl up into a fucking _ball_ and act like that emo piece of _shit_ Sasuke then you can do it _outside_!"

" **Well? Have you two come to a decision?"**

"What..? Kyuubi…?"

"The Hell do you want now Furball? Are you going to at least kick him out of here? I want him back with Tayuya-chan so she can slap some sense into him! I'm sick and tired of this! I let down my walls _once_ and I get slapped in the face. Now I'm pissed!"

The Kyuubi rose to its feet and padded over to them, his eyes focusing on each of them in turn. Then settled on the darker half. **"I guess I was overestimating your patience."** The fox muttered. **"I can force him outside…"**

"Then why didn't you do that already?!"

" **Because I thought you had enough tact to help yourself… Foolish kit. I can't do everything for you. I told you what needed to be done but you all but attacked him instead of reasoning with him."** He growled. **"I will force him to take control of his body again, but you should think hard about how to get over your differences. I** _ **won't**_ **do it for you."**

Both blonds suddenly felt a pull… though it came from opposite directions.

"Hey!? What are you doing?! L..leave me ALONE!"

" **Careful kit. I'm losing my patience with you as well. Don't make me regret my decision to help you. As for what I'm doing… I'm forcing your consciousness out of the seal. Since this place is connected to your subconscious you'll be unable to return here until you come to your senses or I let you."**

"Y..you can't do that!"

" **A piece of advice. Don't do anything stupid."** The fox's eyes narrowed. **"…at least anything more stupid than usual that is…"**

"Hey! W….!?"

….

Both the darker side of Naruto and the Kyuubi watched as the first half faded from the mindscape. They waited for a moment… then felt him wake up on the outside world. Trapped again for the time being, the blond turned away from the fox and crossed his arms trying hard to keep his composure as he became aware of Tayuya comforting _him_ on the outside.

" **Hey…"**

"…Thanks alright! What more do you want?!"

" **I wasn't asking for a thank you. I was going to ask you a few questions… and offer some advice…"**

He turned around to glare at the fox. "Like what? I already told you! I don't know exactly when we separated and I don't know how or even if we can get along again!"

The Kyuubi growled. **"Show some respect for me would you? I at least have attempted to do you and him right for once. Don't take issue with me brat."**

"Fine…"

" **That's better, but I still don't like your tone of voice Menma."**

The blond blinked. " _What_ did you just call me…?"

" **It was an old memory I have. It was the name your mother was originally going to call you before your father chose Naruto to be your name."**

"..But _why_ would you call me that? MY name is NARUTO not Menma. Why the hell should I change _my_ name! If anyone should have to change their name it should be him!"

"…"

"You know what… FINE! Call me whatever you like!"

" **You need a serious attitude adjustment."** The fox said bluntly. **"Half the time you're as hostile as I am and the rest of it you still have as much pride… or more… than I do."**

They stared… (more like glared holes in each other)… for a long while before the newly renamed "Menma" at last spoke up.

"Okay… I'll bite. Why do you want to call me that name?"

" **Must I state the blindingly obvious?"**

"…Apparently… yes."

" **Well, then allow me to enlighten you. I'm not going to call you both Naruto. That is simply confusing as all hell. If I give you a different name then I don't have to deal with a migraine just thinking about all of this. Plus… imagine how hard it is for the author to do these scenes… must be a nightmare."**

"… I see your point…"

" **Good, then if you're fine with Menma, then I still have a few questions for you."**

Menma sighed, letting his anger slip away for the time being. "Whatever. Just what is it you want to know Kurama?"

…

" **Now that you mention it... how the hell** _ **do**_ **you know my name?"**

Menma suddenly grinned, his sadness and anger temporarily forgotten. "Funny story about that… You talk in your sleep."

" **WHAT?!"**

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Tayuya felt like she'd been waiting for hours… when in reality it was less than ten minutes. Fear clutched at her heart the entire time, worry seeping into her mind like a poisonous serpent… She'd stopped crying. The tears were held back… waiting for the inevitable.

And then she heard a groan from her right and turned.

Naruto was blinking his eyes awake, one hand raised to his temple. She watched for nearly a minute as he reacquainted himself with consciousness.

Hope.

Seeing him awake again after what seemed like so long brought her hope flooding back… that maybe this was the real one. The Naruto she'd come to care about. Even if he was feeling broken it wouldn't matter! She… as long as she was there it would be alright. She could help him out of it and then they could deal with this problem once and for all.

"N..Naruto-kun…?"

It was as if he didn't hear her for a moment. His eyes were open now, fully, just staring at the opposite wall for a long minute. And then he turned his head to look at her. Instantly she knew. This _was_ him. This was _her_ Naruto.

He didn't have time to reply as he was suddenly being suffocated by her iron grip around his chest. Naruto gasped as her arms winched tightly around him. Her face was already buried in his chest. He could feel her sobbing into his jacket, the material already starting to darken from her tears.

"T…Tay-chan…?" He asked hesitantly, not understanding what was happening for a moment.

"Y..you're back.. Mother fucking asshole… you left me Naruto! You fucking left me!" She drew back to look at him. She looked like shit. Her eyes were red and puffy and Naruto could see the tracks on her cheeks where she'd been crying. And then he felt the slap. It was harsh and loud, ringing in his ears and jarring him out of his depression.

-SMACK!-

Naruto's head was jerked to the side by the impact and he blinked in confusion, not understanding what he'd done.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! I don't give two flying fucks who your father was! You left me Naruto! You left me with him! Do you understand that! And when you lost it he KILLED someone. The proctor of the exams is dead! Don't you get that!"

He swallowed hard, staring at her shell shocked. "Tay-chan… I don't.."

"I don't care! Promise me that you'll never leave me alone like that again Shithead! Promise me that!" He small hands grabbed fistfuls of his jacket. She shook him like a rag doll. "Promise!"

"I… I promise!" He shouted, trying to break away from her. "I promise I won't okay! Please! Let… go of me Tay-chan!"

She stopped moving abruptly.

And then her hand flew again, delivering a harsh smack across his cheek. Naruto winced at the pain and brought a hand up to his cheek, feeling it start to swell. "Ta.." He didn't even finish her name before he felt her lips against his, her arms twining around his shoulders in a crushing embrace. Naruto blinked, still unbalanced and then gave in.

His own arms wrapped around her, feeling her body shivering against him.

Guilt started to worm its way into his mind. Guilt for leaving her like this, knowing full well that the darker part of him was just waiting for a chance to strike. He'd lost it… allowing himself to be overwhelmed by grief and confusion when Kurotsuchi revealed the identity of his father.

To be honest he wasn't shocked by that… No.. he was happy that Minato Namikaze was his father.. Like really _really_ happy. It meant that his father had been someone who cared, someone who did this for his own good and the good of the village.

But it also meant that he'd been lied to by everyone he'd seen as family.

Naruto hastily broke away from Tayuya, smoothing his hands over her cheeks, brushing away the tears. "I'm… so sorry Tay-chan… I.. Iwon't do that again.. I promise. It's just…"

"Just nothing…" She muttered sullenly. "You promised… That's enough for me Shithead. Just don't break it. Now…" Tayuya's eyes locked onto his. "Explain to me why you let _him_ take over when you found out about your father."

There was a long moment where Naruto didn't speak. He just sat there on the bed, wondering how he could answer…

As it was there wasn't a short explanation. Telling her why he'd lost it would involve telling Tayuya his entire life story almost. Was… was he ready to do that, to bear all to someone. He'd never done that, not even to Kakashi or Jiraiya. He'd kept it all in. And… that was part of why his alter ego existed in the first place…

" _He's my pain… that I ignored. How am I supposed to deal with that? I've put up with so much, always putting everything on the back burner. But… when I found out that Jiji and the others had been purposely keeping it from me… I didn't know what to do. It was like someone told me that everyone I'd ever looked up to was keeping me in the dark."_

"Naruto-kun…?"

He bit his lip and looked away from her, his fear and guilt making him feel even less prepared to bear his life to the girl he loved. What might she think of him if she knew… everything?

"I… It's a long story."

Tayuya scoffed. "And you're the son of Minato Namikaze. Listen Shithead, the entire village is probably panicking out there. If it wasn't for the silencing seals we'd be able to hear it. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a mob getting ready to march in here." She wiped at her face ridding herself at last of her unsightly tears. "And the Kage are still going to be afraid of you… We have plenty of time."

She leaned forward and took his hand, pulling him towards her. "Tell me everything Naruto… I don't want to be in the dark anymore than you do… and… I want to help."

He nodded and, trying to keep his panic down, started at the beginning. "Well… the first thing I remember was being at the local Orphanage… It was a nasty place and I remember not liking it very much. And when I was five I think, they kicked me out. Jiji, the Third Hokage… he was the first person to be nice to me…"

Tayuya, keeping her attention on what he was saying, slipped in close to him. Naruto paused for a moment as she adjusted herself. Once Tayuya was resting against his chest he hesitantly started again.

"Jiji, he was the first person who was ever nice to me. I remember, he used to smile and the wrinkles on his face would all curl upward. He looked so weird when he did that…" He chuckled sadly at the memory. "But… I remember the first question I ever asked him. It was when he was carrying me on his shoulders. I was looking down at him with the Hokage hat on my head… I asked him... if he knew my parents and why they left me at the Orphanage."

Having gone still during his speech Tayuya finally looked up. "What did he tell you?"

"He.. he didn't tell me anything. He just smiled and brought me to my apartment… this apartment. The place I've lived for almost my whole life. I never realized that… he was keeping anything important from me. I imagined that my parents were regular people who'd left an unwanted child behind. Maybe it was his way of keeping me curious, of guiding me. I… it's just that today I realized that the man I trusted more than anyone else in my whole life never told me that I had parents who loved me, parents who died protecting me."

Naruto wiped at his own eyes, realizing he'd started to cry as well.

"I… I loved him like a grandfather. He was the first person I cared about… And then the Ichirakus took me in under their wing. I met Iruka sensei for the first time. I started to feel better, to enjoy myself a little. I was still so… broken… but little by little it got better. Now I know that… everything was a deception."

"Naruto…" Tayuya looked up at him, her own eyes watering. "Please.. don't stop okay. I want to hear everything."

He bit his lip.. and nodded. "Okay… but.. I think we'll be here a while.."

She sniffed loudly and curled up with her back against his chest. "Just let me get comfortable…" she muttered as she found a position that would allow her to listen and look at Naruto without craning her head back. "Okay.. go on."

Naruto sighed… and started again.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

Konoha, the village hidden in the Leaves was in panic. And not the kind that comes with an invasion. No… not at all. This was the kind of panic that comes with knowing that the boy who had been the village pariah for almost two decades was the son of the village's greatest hero… the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

Most who wouldn't have believed it for one reason or another were forced to acknowledge the truth regardless. Why? Because it had been blatantly obvious the entire time. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the determination to succeed. He'd even shouted that his goal in life was to become Hokage, the same goal that his father had held when he was the same age. Hell he even used the same jutsu!

For those who had nothing against the boy from the start it was the wake up call to end all wake up calls. People like Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, and several other clan heads were all dumbstruck upon finding out. And truly… the majority of those who did know had only recently found out. The other Kage had only realized it upon seeing him for the first time and probably would have ignored it if Tsunade hadn't confirmed the truth for them.

However… regardless of who was surprised by this new information and almost in spite of the fact that all five Kage were working _together_ to keep the peace… Konoha was truly in a state of uproar. And no one felt this more keenly than the Hokage herself.

Some people were calling for her abdication from her role as the village leader. Others wanted her to arrest Naruto immediately and have him publicly executed for sullying the image of the Yellow flash with his gruesome actions. Still others wanted to call a public meeting where Naruto could speak his mind. And… others argued the opposite as well.

All was chaos in her village and Tsunade could only thank her predecessor and late sensei for teaching her how to use his crystal ball. Otherwise she'd have been mobbed in the streets before she could do much of anything.

"This is getting out of hand damn it…" she growled as she scanned the village through the large glass orb on her desk. "I don't know what's worse. That Naruto let his alter ego take over… or that the village is tearing its self apart."

Behind her the other four Kage were standing. Each of them had a separate expression that spoke volumes about their feelings on the matter.

The Mizukage looked sympathetic, her singe visible eye trained not on the crystal ball, but outside the window at the village. Her arms were crossed under her impressive bust and every so often she would sigh loudly… as if this were all a tedious game.

Lord A stood looking out over the village, his eyes narrowed yet containing more than a hint of wonder. Tsunade couldn't begin to know what he was thinking.

Onoki… well he didn't look too pleased. And he'd just returned from disciplining his granddaughter. His scowl was focused primarily on the crystal ball.

And last of all… Gaara… The youngest of the Kage was sitting on the couch on the far side of the room seeming to be lost in thought. His eyes were closed and Tsunade suspected that he was gathering chakra… if the gently shifting layer of sand at his feet was anything to go by. She idly wondered what he was planning.

Regardless it would probably be to help Naruto rather than come to her aid… The young man always seemed to put his friends ahead of village relations. Then again… he was close to Naruto so she shouldn't have been surprised by that.

Tsunade shook her head and returned her gaze to the crystal ball. It was about time she bite the bullet and pierce the veil around Naruto's apartment. She needed to know what was happening in there. Whether the boy was still the dark malicious personality who killed the proctor… or if the kinder simpler boy had returned.

She closed her eyes briefly and channeled a massive amount of chakra into the ball. Then she directed it, willing the scrying glass to focus on Naruto's apartment.

The orb went dark for a moment and then… after some time… it cleared.

The other Kage were suddenly by her side, peeking over her shoulders as though they'd been there the entire time. Evidently they were just as eager to see the boy as she… and for good reason.

…

The surface of the orb showed the inside of a small apartment, in which they could see a small table laiden with scrolls, two small beds, a couple dressers. Over all it appeared to be the typical home for a young Genin who didn't live with his clan or parents.

But it shocked three of them. Onoki, A, and Mei had all expected to see him in some manner of large apartment, maybe even an estate. Something that suited the heir of the Uzumaki clan at the very least. After all while he had no access to the Namikaze clan's resources they'd assume he lived in some comfort… at the very least.

Comfort was something however that Naruto never really knew much about.

Five pairs of eyes narrowed as they peered into the glass ball. After a few seconds the blurriness faded and clarity set in, revealing the scene to them even as the sound of a young man's voice… Naruto's voice… appeared out of nowhere.

…

"… _he was the first person to be nice to me…"_

All for Kage leaned forward, watching the exchange between the blond Namikaze and the girl who was resting her head on his chest.

" _Jiji, he was the first person who was ever nice to me. I remember, he used to smile and the wrinkles on his face would all curl upward. He looked so weird when he did that… But… I remember the first question I ever asked him. It was when he was carrying me on his shoulders. I was looking down at him with the Hokage hat on my head… I asked him... if he knew my parents and why they left me at the Orphanage."_

There was a gasp from Mei and her hand flew to her mouth. "Did he… was he… How could the Third Hokage have left him an orphan!?

Tsunade didn't answer.

" _What did he tell you?"_

" _He.. he didn't tell me anything. He just smiled and brought me to my apartment… this apartment. The place I've lived for almost my whole life. I never realized that… he was keeping anything important from me. I imagined that my parents were regular people who'd left an unwanted child behind. Maybe it was his way of keeping me curious, of guiding me. I… it's just that today I realized that the man I trusted more than anyone else in my whole life never told me that I had parents who loved me, parents who died protecting me."_

Even Onoki, who had despised the Fourth Hokage more than anyone else alive, clenched his fists in anger as the blond in the image started to cry.

" _I… I loved him like a grandfather. He was the first person I cared about… And then the Ichirakus took me in under their wing. I met Iruka sensei for the first time. I started to feel better, to enjoy myself a little. I was still so… broken… but little by little it got better. Now I know that… everything was a deception."_

" _Naruto… Please.. don't stop okay. I want to hear everything."_

" _Okay… but.. I think we'll be here a while.."_

Gaara jaw clenched and they could hear his teeth grinding together in anger as the girl sniffed loudly and curled up with her back against his chest.

" _Just let me get comfortable…"_

"Okay.. go on."

Naruto sighed… and started again.

And so the Five Kage listened as Naruto recounted the last decade of his life. It was a long time coming and filled with many pauses and halts… Tayuya would ask questions every now and then, wanting clarification on one thing or another.

The blond told of his time in Academy, the fact that he knew no one really liked him, the teachers especially. And that he only realized his education had been sabotaged after he'd started his training trip with Jiraiya. It went downhill from there. He wove a story of a sad orphan who put on a brave face for everyone… while inside he was hurting. Hurting for years. From the time he was eight to the day he turned thirteen he was miserable.

There was a laundry list of things that he had to deal with every day that would make even the most abused child rethink his or her situation.

But as Naruto had already said… things got better for him. He started hanging out with Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akamichi since they never seemed to mind him all that much. And because of that he got to know Ino Yamanaka, who he thought was pretty but not very nice at first.

He even talked for almost an hour about Sakura… how she was the second person after Sasuke to really acknowledge him… But unlike Sasuke she'd only been nice to him once. And the next time he'd seen her she acted like all the other civilian children. His crush on her had started out as a simple desire to have the friend back that he lost. Even a single day playing with her as a child made him want to be closer. He was so starved for affection back then.

After a while it turned into almost an obsession, though it stopped when she'd started to fall for Sasuke. Then he realized that she might never return his new budding feelings. But he persevered for a long time… until he finally gave up on her sometime during his training trip with Jiraiya.

And it all seemed to boil down to today.

He never knew when… or even how it happened. But some time ago when he was little he'd put on a mask… and eventually the mask became him. The mask was always there… to the extent that even he couldn't tell he was wearing it.

Naruto guessed that it caused him to have a split personality. On one side was the forgiving dense idiot. The mask that he wore, shoving all his kindness and compassion to the front while pushing all the anger, sorrow, and hate to the back. It accounted for how dense he was anyway… after all if he used his head and actually thought about his situation logically… how could he forgive? How could he smile at everyone who treated him like trash?

That was the start of Dark Naruto…

He bottled everything up inside… and eventually that bottled up emotion splintered off into a separate personality, one that only came out every now and then. During times of high stress when his mask cracked….

….allowing the black insides to show.

He wasn't even aware of it when it happened because it… _he_ was him. That other half was just what he claimed to be. The dark side was everything he repressed for so long. And when Kurotsuchi revealed who his father was…

Even he wasn't that stupid. No amount of denseness could spare him the knowledge that his grandfather figure had lied to him, and in all likelihood prevented him from being adopted. After all… Others must have known who his father was. Kakashi must have known. And he couldn't imagine that the man who had such admiration for his father wouldn't have taken in his orphaned son…

His mask couldn't take it… it… shattered.

And the beast within was given free rein to do what it wished. And wish it did. It wished that everyone who'd ever caused him pain would suffer the same agony he'd endured. He wished that the terror or loneliness be inflicted upon others like a dark whip… each crack a debt repaid.

…

The Kage watched and listened as Naruto admitted that… if he were honest with himself at this point… he and his other half weren't all that different from each other. It was simply that a wall had been built between them.

So… maybe… from a certain point of view… _he,_ not just the darker version of him… _He wanted_ to see the village burn… _He_ hated the village…

…

As the crystal ball grew dark again and Tsunade leaned back in her chair the other Kage were silent. And then after a moment the Raikage spoke.

"This is what happens when you treat a human being as a weapon. This is like what my brother suffered from… and what Yugito had to endure… merely on a much greater scale. Once I thought Konoha was a bastion of understanding and kindness. I respected the Will of Fire and the Hokage who championed it… but now I find myself viewing the Third Hokage in a different light."

Lord A's eyes closed. "The boy deserved better than this. As far as I am concerned the blood of that Proctor is on the Third's hands… not his." He opened his eyes again and glanced around the room. "I will offer my help to bring this village to a state of peace again Tsunade… but let it be known I do this out of respect for Naruto's strength and the suffering he has gone through… not any love of Konoha."

"I..I understand." Tsunade whispered, barely able to keep up the act of a leader. She wanted to cry… wanted to hold her godson in her arms. Maybe then she could right one wrong in her life. All this time she'd been biding her time, waiting for the right moment to tell him. And now it had come to this. The boy everyone knew was a trauma victim… and the one that truly represented Naruto's feelings wanted nothing more than to see the village burn.

Mei closed her eyes and turned away. She didn't know what to say or do.

Onoki glanced at Tsunade, deciding now was the moment to speak his piece. "I agree with Lord A. The boy shouldn't be punished for the idiocy of the Third. While I respected Hiruzen for being a powerful Kage and a brilliant man… his methods must call in some serious doubt to his ability to lead."

The other Kage nodded in response.

"However… I cannot help with restoring piece in this village. Iwa and Konoha are still enemies as far as the people are concerned. My help would do more harm than good. Therefore I will take my leave. With Iwa out of the village perhaps tensions will decrease slightly and you can get a handle on this."

Tsunade looked at him. "What about Naruto?"

"What about him?" Onoki asked gruffly. "I won't harm the boy because of his father. And I sincerely doubt that incurring his wrath now is a wise decision. He can use Hiraishin, I am inside a village he knows like the back of his hand, and I'm outnumbered. Even if I wished to kill him it would be suicide to attempt it."

"So what will you do?"

Onoki floated away, landing on the floor by the door. "As I said. I will take my people and leave. Good luck Hokage… you'll need it."

With that said the Tsuchikage opened the door and left the room. Tsunade watched him go, still feeling hollow and not knowing how to react. What Onoki said was true. His presence in the village would only breed conflict. However what did his departure leave her with? A village in uproar, a young man with a vicious split personality, and little in the way of power to stop it?

"Hokage."

Tsunade's eyes flicked to the side. Gaara was standing there, his coal rimmed eyes burning into her. "Yes Kazakage?"

"I will be blunt. The actions of the Third Hokage disgust me. What he did to Naruto, intentional or not, leads me to have nothing but contempt for him and I for one am glad he died before he could cause my best friend more harm." Gaara crossed his arms. "I care not for this village. Naruto is the only one who embodies the will of fire your grandfather held so dear… and now even he is struggling to keep his faith intact."

She swallowed thickly, looking down in shame. "What… what will you do?"

"I cannot help Naruto. I think… only Tayuya can do that now. However Naruto's other friends may be in danger due to their connection with him. I will make sure they are safe since I cannot directly help him. Do what you must to bring this village back under control Hokage. If I must I will bring Naruto with me to Suna that he may recover while you do so."

Tsunade accepted that wordlessly knowing that Gaara had said everything he had to say. A moment later the Kazekage vanished in a swirl of sand, leaving her alone with Lord A and Mei. A depressed silence fell over them. No one was willing to break it. Five minutes passed before A turned and walked out of the room. His oversized hand grabbed the door handle, wrenching the portal open. And then he disappeared through it.

Finally only the two female Kage were left.

"Tsunade."

The blond looked up at the Mizukage. She didn't know what to expect. Onoki's decision had surprised her and A's help was unexpected. But she supposed it was Naruto that caused them to side with her the way they did. What would Mei decide?

"Yes Mei?" she croaked, still on the verge of breaking down.

"I want to help… but I don't know how. To.. to be honest I've only been Mizukage for a short time and Ao has done most of the heavy lifting. As a rebellion leader I knew what to do, knew how to inspire men and women to fight to the death. But I don't know how to calm a riot. I haven't the faintest idea how to bring an entire village back to normal." Mei hurriedly wiped at her eyes. "Tell me what you need me to do. I don't want to be idle."

Tsunade turned away from Mei closing her eyes. "Honestly… I don't know what to do either."

She looked back, the two women locking eyes for the first time in hours. Mei walked over, pulling up a chair as she did so, and sat down next to Tsunade. "Come on then… There's something I used to do when I was younger that always made me feel better."

The blond Hokage looked somewhat hopeful. "What's that?"

Mei smiled sadly as a tear trailed down her left cheek. "Well, not to put too fine a point on it… us girls need a good cry once in a while."

Tsunade and Mei shared a very brief very sad laugh… and cried.

 **Ooo**

 **Ooo**

 **And there you have it! Chapter 12 is done! I hope all my readers continue to follow this story as it won't be finishing any time soon! And remember to review with what you like or dislike! I need feedback damn it!**


End file.
